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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/23619214">The Headless Hunt</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/OuKuang/pseuds/OuKuang'>OuKuang</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>How (not) to become a Wizard [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>NCT (Band)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Magic, Awkward meets Sassy, Bad Jokes, Blood and Gore, Crack Treated Seriously, Dad Jokes, Düsseldorf is the place to be, Family Issues, Graphic Description of Corpses, High School, How Do I Tag, Love Triangles, Multi, Murder, One-Sided Relationship, Pining, Religious Cults, Romance, Unhealthy Relationships, Vampires, Wizards, and lots of Jesus for you sinners, head jokes, long ass ride, this is fun i swear, veganism</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-04-12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-12-06</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-02 17:13:22</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>7</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>46,204</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/23619214</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/OuKuang/pseuds/OuKuang</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>“... you’re a wizard, right?”</p>
<p>“I’m a what?” </p>
<p>“A wizard. One of those creeps that use wands to do magic and ride on broomsticks just to flex.”</p>
<p>“Lucas, I know what a wizard is.” Donghyuck eyeballed the other and frowned. He knew the other was not the sharpest arrow in the quiver, but up until now he never considered Lucas being actually insane. Conspiracy theories were more Renjun’s forte and no way in hell he’d want to date someone like that. So how could he turn this around to see just how serious Lucas was about the entire thing?</p>
<p>or</p>
<p>Donghyuck only planned to win over Mark’s heart, so why was he now looking for a lost head with Lucas?</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Jung Yoonoh | Jaehyun/Jesus, Jung Yoonoh | Jaehyun/Lee Taeyong, Kim Dongyoung | Doyoung/Moon Taeil, Lee Donghyuck | Haechan/Mark Lee, Lee Donghyuck | Haechan/Wong Yuk Hei | Lucas, Moon Taeil/Suh Youngho | Johnny</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>How (not) to become a Wizard [1]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1700170</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>33</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>83</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Renjun is a traitor and shall burn</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“I love you Donghyuck.”</p><p>The confession was hanging uncommented in the air for a moment until tired complaining followed. “I love you too…. but….please let me go? I'm already late. Very late.”</p><p>“You’re late every morning, Hyuckie…”, Taeil reminded him happily humming and didn't make any move to release Donghyuck from his tight hug.</p><p>“Exactly. And you as my guardian should be more concerned about my punctuality.”</p><p>Taeil chuckled.</p><p>“You're not allowed to grow any taller, it’s already awful enough to look directly into your eyes.”</p><p>“I won't….”, Donghyuck promised while still trying to escape his guardian’s sudden display of affection - sadly without any success, “....as soon as let me go.”</p><p>Taeil gave in with a sigh. Reluctantly he let his arms fall and finally stepped back. Clearly unhappy he watched Donghyuck putting a dark green parka over his school uniform, slipping into a pair of red sneakers and hiding his chestnut brown hair under a snapback. It was a combination that made Taeil wrinkle his nose in distaste. However he had to admit that he didn't know much about current trends and refrained from discussing attire with the cheeky pubescent boy solely for his own protection.<br/>
All too often these discussions had escalated and too rarely Taeil was able to win these heated debates.</p><p>Except for one time when Donghyuck had insulted the older one as a fashion terrorist, whereupon Taeil had gasped indignantly and corrected him. (“I’m a fashion pacifist!”) Taeil had counted the sound of Donghyuck’s facepalm as applause for his disarming argument and the two of them stopped talking until the next day.</p><p>“Take care, okay?”, Taeil mumbled and straightened his pyjamas before opening the door of their apartment.</p><p>“I will.” Donghyuck smiled at Taeil. Every morning Taeil woke him up and he never had to worry about going to school without having breakfast first, since his brother Taeyong always left him some before going to work. And all that even though Taeil could easily sleep for another hour and still be on time for work. It has always been that way but Donghyuck was touched nonetheless.</p><p>“Don't forget that Johnny is going to pick you up today.”</p><p>Donghyuck grinned and nodded. “How could I possibly forget?”</p><p>Taeil rolled his eyes. “Hah. Get lost.”</p><p>Donghyuck grabbed his ratty old backpack and started walking. Before he stepped onto the stairwell he turned around again to wave at Taeil. In the meantime Taeil had picked up Gilbert, a fat persian cat and secret head of the family, and moved his paw like a windshield wiper back and forth. The student rolled his eyes and continued on his way to school. Everything was normal.</p><p>For now.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Like every day Donghyuck made it into the classroom in perfect synchronicity with the schoolbell and moved to take his seat next to his best friend Renjun. Renjun absentmindedly greeted him with a small “morning” without looking up from the book he was reading. Donghyuck looked at the open page and wasn't surprised to see it filled with pictures of mushrooms. He had gotten used to Renjun’s lack of politeness long ago and took off his parka and snapback after mumbling a retort.<br/>
His teacher hasn't arrived yet, so Donghyuck let his eyes wander. Sadly he had to turn around for that. Renjun was an ambitious student and preferred to sit in the front row. It was only because of Renjun that Donghyuck passed last year, so he didn't dare to complain.</p><p>Donghyuck watched his classmates with limited interest. Even though it was Friday, their looks were empty and unmotivated. Some had their heads on their tables and were napping while others were going over their homework. He was about to turn around when he noticed someone looking at him intensely. He returned the stare and looked into big deep brown eyes. The boy in the last row didn't seem to feel caught, because not only did he keep staring, he also pulled up one corner of his mouth into a smirk.</p><p>Renjun didn't care about the moment Donghyuck and his classmate were having and slammed his book next to Donghyuck’s ear shut, making him jump and almost falling off his chair. Loud and ringing laughter from the last row immediately followed and Donghyuck boxed Renjun in the side, fully prepared to release an onslaught of curses onto the other boy. The only thing that stopped him was his history teacher entering the room, silencing every conversation in the room.</p><p>Donghyuck would have to wait until lunch break to cuss Renjun out.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>“He's not a bad guy you know?” Renjun had just finished all of his side dishes and started on his main dish.</p><p>“Who are you talking about?”</p><p>“Lucas.”</p><p>Silence. Instead of answering his friend's statement Donghyuck looked up from his tray. Lucas was sitting a few tables away. The guy who first had been staring and then laughing at him the loudest. The new one.<br/>
It hadn't even been a month since he came to this school and he had immediately been taken in by a student named Sicheng, who previously had been known to be a bit of a loner. For quite a long (and in retrospect embarrassingly) time Donghyuck wasn't even sure whether the originally Chinese student could even talk, since he never said anything in class. But when he suddenly joined the same church choir as Donghyuck and Renjun, he proved his eloquence. In front of all choir members he complained about Father Jaehyun's decision that he should only lip sync during their performances. But when Lucas joined their class, Sicheng had immediately volunteered to show the new student around. But while the teacher was happy to agree to that, Father Jaehyun continued to not be reasoned with. So now during the breaks Sicheng and Lucas stuck together and tried to appear mysterious.</p><p>Who knows, maybe their conversations were much less interesting than Donghyuck imagined them to be. However, everytime he passed their table he was reminded of how awful his Chinese was. Did that make him want to change that? Not at all.</p><p>Much to Donghyuck’s relief they didn't notice him staring and he looked back at his best friend.</p><p>“And you believe that because…?”</p><p>“Because I'm sitting next to him in Korean class.”</p><p>“Ah right.”</p><p>Renjun himself was also Chinese but had been learning Korean since he was in primary school. In the Korean class, that was compulsory for all the foreign students, he was the best by far. Even though he was basically fluent in Korean since he had lived here for quite a few years by now, he still felt it was much better to be in Korean class than in Chinese class. That way he didn't have to listen to his best friends' cringy pronunciation. ("There are few things more painful than listening to you raping my mother tongue, Donghyuck.")</p><p>“Yes. He is one year older than us and..”</p><p>“He repeated a year? Cool.”</p><p>Renjun glared at him and continued.</p><p>“...and he likes to play video games, knows how to cook, likes working out..”</p><p>“...and was the captain of a football team at some super special school somewhere in America?”</p><p>“Nope, England.”</p><p>“Oh my God.” Disgusted, Donghyuck made a face and threw a disapproving look at the topic of the conversation. In that exact moment Lucas looked up and smiled. He smiled at Donghyuck.</p><p>Renjun must've correctly judged the look Donghyuck was giving Lucas, because he followed Donghyuck’s gaze and turned around. To prevent worse things from happening Donghyuck quickly kicked Renjuns shin. Did Renjun just try to wave at them? How rebellious.</p><p>“I just wanted to add that he asked about you last Wednesday.” Whining, the young Chinese rubbed his aching leg.</p><p>Donghyuck exhaled sharply, shoving the rest of his noodles into his mouth. “Why? Does he need tutoring in being funny and popular?”</p><p>“Nah, he’s much funnier than you to be honest. His Justin Bieber impressions are way better than your Michael Jackson ones.”</p><p>“Excuse you? He's only entertaining because he's handsome.”</p><p>“He really is, isn't he?” Donghyuck wished the table was not between them so he could wipe the smug grin off of his friends face.</p><p>The long pause confirmed Renjun’s statement. Donghyuck breathed deeply and decided that ignorance was the best option he had. He stared at his empty tray. It was normal that the two of them teased each other and rarely knew where to stop. But this time Renjun seemed to notice the change in atmosphere. His tone softened.</p><p>“When is he coming back? This weekend? Or the one after?”</p><p>‘He’ was Mark Lee. Canadian, Donghyuck’s childhood best friend and main character in his countless daydreams. In primary school Mark had settled a ridiculously high number of fights in the school yard. All caused by Donghyuck. Mark walked him home every day and tutored him since he was a year older and incredibly smart.</p><p>“Next...finally.” Hyuck showed off a bittersweet smile.</p><p>Mark's mother Wendy was Taeil’s best friend, even though they appeared to be at least ten years apart in age. It was normal for the Lees to come over on the weekends or the other way around. It actually seemed that Taeil was only using the kids as an excuse to get closer to (actually happily married) Wendy.</p><p>None of that stopped Donghyuck from falling in love with Mark.</p><p>The fact that he disappeared at the age of 12 to attend a boarding school abroad was the least of his problems.</p><p>“So you're free this weekend? I wanted to show you something in the forest.” Renjun’s eyes were full of hope. Knowing what that meant after being dragged up a mountain last time just to look at a tiny ring of mushrooms, Donghyuck was ready to whip up any excuse. Thankfully none was needed.</p><p>“Johnny is coming over today and we are going over to Wendy for dinner tomorrow… you could join?”</p><p>“Ew no way. I'm not into soy burgers and chia pudding.”</p><p>Donghyuck’s tortured laughter was sign enough that he wasn't in the mood for Wendy's vegan food either. “Are you sure?”</p><p>“Quite. Sooooo…. Johnny is going to pick you up?”</p><p>Donghyuck faked a sigh. “...we will take you home.”</p><p>“Sweet.”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>There is nothing worse than a math test.</p><p>Except if it’s a surprise math test.</p><p>A graded one.</p><p>Disbelieving groans went through the classroom and Donghyuck saw his life flash before his eyes after seeing the stack of papers in his teachers hands. As expected, Renjun didn't even blink, his best friend however regretted the sixth round of Overwatch last night.</p><p>“Donghyuck, Renjun…” Mrs. Kwon’s shrill voice made the two students jump.</p><p>“...please hand out the tests. I’ll set a timer. As soon as everyone has a test your 40 minutes will start.”</p><p>Donghyuck hated sitting in the first row.</p><p>Now they were the ones having to look into the empty faces of their classmates, playing the harbingers of doom.</p><p>Both boys stood up, took half of the tests each and began handing them out.</p><p>In Donghyuck’s head a way too familiar scenario was playing. His brother Taeyong. Arms crossed and eyes burning intensely. Bad grades and people criticising his cooking were two of the few things that made his brother truly angry. And an angry Taeyong meant a hella scary one.</p><p>The worst thing was his disappointment: “Didn't you promise me to work harder next time?”</p><p>“Euhm, Donghyuck?” A deep voice disrupted his Vietnam flashbacks. Donghyuck turned around and looked into the deep brown eyes of the crush of every girl at the school, retired football captain and way too handsome Lucas.</p><p>Said boy slowly held up his test. The one he really shouldn't have turned around until everyone in the classroom had one. Except that both sides of the page were empty.</p><p>“Oh hang on, I’ll give you…”</p><p>“Mine's empty too.”, said Sicheng surprised after having taken a peek as well.</p><p>“Mine too”, someone else said in the second row, just barely holding back their joy.</p><p>“Same here.”</p><p>“What the hell? The tests were here just a second ago..” Renjun, who had inspected the rest of his stack, looked quite confused at his friend.</p><p>By then Mrs. Kwon had stormed towards Donghyuck and took the stack of empty pages from him.</p><p>“What did you do?” she glared at Donghyuck furiously. “I demand an explanation Lee Donghyuck!”</p><p>But he didn't have one. He just really, really didn't want to take the test. As well as not wanting to deal with Taeyong when he would inevitably fail it.<br/>
Donghyuck had turned just as white as the page in Lucas' hand he was still looking at. Lucas' gaze shifted utterly confused back and forth between his teacher and Donghyuck, all while trying (and failing) to hide his wide grin.</p><p>What would be smarter? Telling the truth and thus telling his teacher he didn't know what happened or lying and confirming Mrs. Kwon’s suspicion which in turn meant being the class’ hero who saved them from the test? Donghyuck chose the latter option. The stupid one.</p><p>“I-I… I have ehum… exchanged the test with a list..” he began, every student's eyes fixed on him, “...a list of all the things that make you a good teacher.”</p><p>The entire class went crazy.</p><p>Renjun simply facepalmed.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>"... however, I firmly believe you blackmailed principal Kim somehow. And as your best friend, I demand you to tell me the truth!"</p><p>Instead of an explanation, Renjun found himself shoved and almost landed on the neatly cut grass.</p><p>"I guess he just likes me." And Donghyuck was right. The principal had quite a questionable sense of humour which enraged the teachers on a daily basis. Donghyuck lost count of the times he was dragged into the principal's office, where he had to confess his misdemeanours. Mr Kim loved hearing the detailed descriptions of how Donghyuck taped an air horn under Mrs Kwon’s chair or how he promised to apologize to her by baking something. Which resulted in Donghyuck cutting out "E"-letters out of cardboard and placing them into a cooking pan covered with foil ("Here, Mrs Kwon, Brown-Es! HAHAHA").</p><p>Having the head teacher on his side als meant not having to fear him calling home. Taeyong and Taeil didn't have to know everything.</p><p>"Yeah, but it wasn't you this time. Every piece of paper on my stack was printed." Renjun frowned while walking next to his friend. "And I'm not Houdini. Hell, even Mrs. Kwon's original version was blank, so she couldn't make new copies..."</p><p>"Maybe something's wrong with the ink?" Donghyuck himself didn't sound convinced. Conspiracy theorist Renjun's option of a possible fairy intervention wasn't any better though.</p><p>"Hm... but what kind of AH." A loud honk made the Chinese boy squeal and Donghyuck jump in surprise. Both searched for the source of the noise, before noticing a silver Tesla pulling up right in front of them without the slightest sound. Inside sat Johnny, showing off his million dollar smile.</p><p>Uncle Johnny was another member of the chaotic patchwork Donghyuck called his family. Unlike Taeyong and similar to Taeil, he wasn't related to Hyuck by blood, which made no difference to anyone. Johnny was as stereotypical and great as an uncle can get, always drowning the younger boy in gifts from his business trips. He was also responsible for providing Taeil's medicine.</p><p>Once a month Johnny would stop by for a weekend and visit his family in Seoul. Donghyuck, Taeil and Taeyong (and Gilbert) were in fact the only family he got ever since his parents burnt to death ten years ago. Unsurprisingly, he avoided the topic like the pest. Truly a pity, because curious Donghyuck had to ask Johnny's childhood friend. Being the charming and sensitive soul he is, Taeil had told six-year old Hyuckie very graphically about the fire in which the Seos 'roasted like sweet chestnuts in the oven of hell'. "Sadly it saved Johnny the funeral costs", the mortician had added. Donghyuck never digged deeper into the matter ever again.</p><p>"I take the front seat!" Renjun shouted and was immediately stopped by his best friend. Donghyuck grabbed his wrist and pulled him back. "Don't even think of it."<br/>
It took them a while to stop the scramble and notice it was all in vain: Johnny had locked the front door and used his thumb to point at the backseat. Unbelievable.</p><p>"Can't you be cool, just for once?" A whining Donghyuck plopped down on the seat while Renjun walked around the car to do the same. The question only made Johnny laugh, he knew Hyuck liked to brag about having 'the coolest uncle'.</p><p>"Safety first, safety second, coolness third, child." The handsome man on the driver's seat turned around. "Hi Renjun!"</p><p>"Hi Johnny!"</p><p>The engine started as gentle as a cat's purr. And because Donghyuck was a wannabe-gangster still suffering from puberty, he asked his uncle to turn 'Hotline Bling' louder. With rolled down windows they drove past the bus stop, Renjun bending down in embarrassment and Donghyuck waving at his schoolmates with a stupid grin. The kids didn't seem to be offended, in fact, some gave him a thumbs up. After all, the boy somehow saved them from a math test so they'd better show some gratitude.</p><p>The obligatory smalltalk ended quickly. Although Donghyuck never saw a problem in confessing his wrongdoings to Johnny and thus having a few laughs, something felt wrong now. Something was odd, different. It hasn't been his fault and the entire matter made no sense at all. He'd just try to pretend it never happened.<br/>
This explained why Renjun got kicked for yet another time that day when he tried to address the little magic trick. The Chinese boy huffed and glared at Donghyuck but obeyed by changing the topic.</p><p>"Anyways. I'm finally going to quit my single life next Monday." With each word the smile on Renjun's face grew wider.</p><p>"Oh my god, you're going to ask... Hyori?" -"Yeri" "...uhm Yeri out? For real this time? You've been planning to do that for months now."</p><p>Unlike Donghyuck, Renjun had cram school four times a week. After school he'd pop back home to eat before taking the next bus for another three hours of studying at a private institute. All despite already being a good student. But good wasn't the best.<br/>
In his English class on Monday he met Yerim. Renjun used to never give girls any special attention, but this particular girl seemed to have him wrapped around her finger.</p><p>Meanwhile Johnny stopped the car in front of a red light. He looked through the rear mirror, sounding excited. "So what's the plan?"</p><p>"I'll play it safe and invite her to go to the movies with me. I thought about a small present along with the offer... roses or chocolate?"</p><p>Donghyuck chuckled. Everything about this was so cliché. "Is neither an option?"</p><p>"No."</p><p>Johnny chimed in: "Both?"</p><p>"I'm broke. Buying the tickets is going to be expensive."</p><p>Donghyuck grimaced, quickly erasing the thought of Renjun holding a bouquet of flowers with a cheesy smile plastered all over his face. "Aren't roses a little too straight-forward?"</p><p>"Well, I'm asking her out after all, so..."</p><p>"Go for chocolate. In case of rejection you can still eat it." Donghyuck suggested with an amused grin but had his eyes set on his phone. The boy next to him seemed a little nervous, trying to peek at the screen. Donghyuck noticed with great confusion, already opening his mouth but Johnny was faster. "Who would reject Renjun?"</p><p>Renjun nodded in agreement, leaning back again. "Yeah, she won't reject me."</p><p>"I would, anytime." Donghyuck's smile was so sweet, he immediately earned himself a forehead-flick.</p><p>“Meaning your taste is rather flawed.” Renjun gave him an unimpressed look.</p><p>“Oh but Mark is indeed a cutie pie. And a good student, good character…” Johnny began, although quite distracted by the traffic.</p><p>“Doesn’t change the fact that he is not interested.”</p><p>Renjun’s dry comment caused a small stretch of silence. Usually Donghyuck would retort immediately, however there was no reason for it. Renjun was right.</p><p>Renjun tried to break the awkward silence.</p><p>“Maybe you and Lucas could hang out sometime. Or we could join them for lunch…”</p><p>Sighing and quite annoyed, Donghyuck interrupted him. “Oh hell no. Don't you dare to try and hook me up with…”</p><p>“Lucas? Who's that?”, Johnny asked maybe a tad too curiously. “A potential new victim for Hyuckie’s non existent charm?”</p><p>“I have plenty of charm. But he’s not gay.”</p><p>“How do you know?” Renjun looked out of the window and played with the straps of his backpack.</p><p>“How do YOU know?” The topic annoyed Donghyuck. Except for his best friend, his brother, Taeil, and Johnny, he hasn't told anyone else that he was interested in boys. The very fact that Mark wasn't at his school made keeping it that way a lot easier. And secretly Donghyuck didn't want the girls at his school to know; he was quite popular and it gave him a bit of sadistic satisfaction to break their hearts, masking his own bitterness deep inside.</p><p>“I don't. But he seemed to be interested in getting to know you.”</p><p>Renjun’s winking and Johnny’s “Nawwwww” almost made Donghyuck vomit all over the place in disgust.</p><p>They dropped Renjun off and had to drive through the city center to get to the small apartment that Donghyuck shared with Taeil and Taeyong. However they took a small detour to get some fast food for dinner - a tradition for the times Johnny came over.</p><p>The rest of the drive was silent. Johnny told him a few stories from his work at a big Chinese enterprise. Donghyuck was content to just listen and occasionally chirped in. It was nice. The silence between them was never awkward. It was something Donghyuck held very dear. He might be a whirlwind at school but when he came home he needed to recharge. And there were few people he was comfortable around enough to do so.</p><p> </p><p>At home they were eagerly awaited. Johnny was barely able to put down his bags and the food before Taeyong had thrown himself at the taller man. Donghyuck had barely registered this before he got the same treatment from Taeil and almost stumbled over Gilbert who was brushing against their legs. They soon switched and Donghyuck was being squeezed to death by his brother while Johnny gently put his arms around Taeil’s waist and rested his chin on the others head.</p><p>When they were all seated in the kitchen a few moments later, they enjoyed their food while Johnny repeated the stories he had told Hyuck before, while Taeyong was telling them about the kids he was looking after at the kindergarten he was working at.</p><p>However when Taeil started talking about his day at Johnny's insistence, Taeyong reminded them that dead bodies and their preparation for funerals was not a good topic for dinner conversation. Taeil was a mortician.</p><p>Donghyuck noticed Taeyong anxiously looking at the clock, however Johnny was faster. “What is on TV tonight? Something you wanna watch?”</p><p>Taeyong smiled shyly and looked at the burger in his hands, which’s sauce had almost completely dripped down on the plate by now. Before he could answer, Taeil did it for him. “He's going to leave later to go partying.” he sounded more accusing than intended.<br/>
It's not like Taeil didn't want Taeyong to have fun. But Taeyong was both incredibly attractive and incredibly naive which was an unfortunate combination. He could have whoever he wanted but never found the right person that made him happy.</p><p>“Well… thats sounds like the three of us are going to have a movie night then?” Johnny looked at Taeil and Donghyuck. Taeyong had already gotten up to get ready.</p><p>“Sorry I have to go to bed early today. A colleague called in sick so I’ll have to cover for them.” Taeil already sounded like he was ready to fall into bed an hour ago. He looked at the cat at his feet that was trying to get his attention. A small pat on his thighs was enough for the cat to jump, with a grace that you wouldn't expect from such a fat cat, onto Taeils lap. Johnny's disappointment was clear on his face and quickly turned into jealousy. Donghyuck couldn't help but smile. His crush was more than obvious, however Taeil never failed to ignore the latters affection.</p><p>One hour later Johnny and Donghyuck started their movie night. Taeyong had been picked up earlier by his friend Yuta. However, not without having asked for their opinion on his outfit at least a dozen times. And each time he entered the room he had pointed out a new spot that they had forgotten to clean after dinner.</p><p>“Please dont stay up too long”, Taeil had asked Donghyuck while walking through the living room in his pyjamas and Bugs Bunny slippers. “Snacks are in the cupboard, cola in the fridge...” he mumbled while looking around to figure out whether or not he had forgotten something. He stopped at Johnny's soft smile. “The fire extinguishers should still work, cold packs are in the freezer and the first aid kit is under the sink.”</p><p>“Did you get the syringes from my bag?” Johnny got up and walked towards Taeil. Due to his long legs it only took him a few steps.<br/>
Taeil nodded and pulled up the corners of his mouth into a small smile. Johnny put his hands on the shoulders of the much smaller man. In moments like these Donghyuck wished he could decipher the looks between the two of them. Johnny's look seemed to be one of pure affection while Taeil seemed...nervous.<br/>
Taeil was a smart young man, he even had studied at a university in Europe, but dropped everything out of nowhere. He himself said that he wasn't comfortable with where he was in life and had returned to Korea because of that. Yet, a few years ago, during a movie night much like this one, Johnny had told him the truth.<br/>
He had told him that Taeil used to be in an abusive relationship. That he had loved a criminal. And that he had only been able to get out of it with some help. Johnny's help.</p><p>The sound of Donghyuck’s phone vibrating on the coffee table forced his attention away from the pair and disrupted the Johnil moment they were having. Confused Donghyuck stared at his phone while Taeil moved away from Johnny with a small “Good night” and both went to his bedroom to administer Taeils medicine.</p><p> </p><p>[ShuaiShuai] Hey there, my hero :D What's good?</p><p>Donghyuck frowned. Did Renjun have a new number? Not likely, because Renjun wouldn't text him without cussing him out.</p><p>
  <span>[FullSun] Who dis</span>
</p><p>
  <span>[ShuaiShuai] xuxi sushi </span>
</p><p>
  <span>[ShuaiShuai] :))</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Who was that? A troll? For a moment Donghyuck contemplated blocking the number.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>[FullSun]...</span>
</p><p>
  <span>[ShuaiShuai] It’s me, Lucas. Renjun gave me your number </span>
</p><p>
  <span>[ShuaiShuai] :D</span>
</p><p> </p><p>Slowly, very slowly Donghyuck turned his phone around and placed it on the table.</p><p>Renjun is a traitor and shall burn.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. King of Hearts</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“It’s… it’s not what it looks like.”</p><p>Taeil was still holding onto the doorknob when he noticed that his boyfriend Doyoung wasn’t alone in their shared apartment. He had already noticed the extra pair of shoes in the hallway and therefore knew that Doyoung had female company. Hence, he had carefully snuck towards the kitchen, following the noises coming from the inside. His boyfriend seemed just as surprised to see him so much earlier than planned as Taeil was surprised by the sight in front of him. Both stared at each other with pale faces and wide eyes. Both as if they had turned to stone, Taeil with the doorknob in his hand and Doyoung with a bloody knife in his.</p><p>And between them the dead body of a woman.</p><p>It was supposed to be a normal Thursday evening, nothing out of the norm. A nice evening with some wine and bread (maybe even some of the nice soft pretzels from the bakery just around the corner). They would have sat on the old and rickety folding chairs on their balcony, enjoying the fresh and mild air. Taeil would’ve rested his legs on Doyoung’s lap while they were eating and drinking. They would’ve watched the busy traffic on the streets below them and observed the sheer endless roads that made up the pulsing center of Düsseldorf. Both would have commented on how pretty the sunset was and waited until the city was doused in bright artificial light.</p><p>The air would’ve turned frigid at some point and they would’ve moved to the couch and watched some random TV show. Taeil might’ve tried to get some studying done until his lover convinced him to spend time with him instead of his medical textbook. He wouldn’t have touched the book again and instead focused on the sweet kisses they shared, which slowly would turn more passionate.</p><p>This Thursday however, seemed to turn into something more eventful.</p><p>Because instead of red wine, that Taeil, being as clumsy as he was, had spilled onto the floor a good number of times, the bright white tiles of their kitchen floor were now stained with blood.</p><p>“Well to me the situation seems to be quite clear.” Taeil placed a hand over his mouth. How much he would’ve loved to start screaming.</p><p>“She was one of them, Taeil.” Doyoung’s voice was quiet and his once shocked face was now weirdly tortured. Slowly he stepped over the body and threw the knife away. He didn’t appear to care that he stepped directly into the pool of blood and ruined his new slippers. He seemed to care even less about Taeil trying to evade him and turning his head away because he dragged the smaller man quickly further into the room and roughly cornered him against a wall.</p><p>He didn’t even have to put in a lot of effort since Taeil didn’t resist. He just continued to stare at Doyoung.</p><p>Usually the sight of Doyoung would be enough to calm him down and he loved to admire the fine details in his lover’s way too handsome face. This time however, he resisted the temptation and kept his face carefully blank. Instead of holding onto Doyoung, his arms stayed at his sides and his hands grasped onto the hem of his own shirt.</p><p>Clearly uncertain because of Taeil’s silence, Doyoung laid his hands on Taeil’s cheeks and caressed his soft skin. “She came to warn you. To warn you that I’m dangerous.” Doyoung started chewing nervously on his lip, not breaking eye contact. “I couldn’t let her. I couldn’t let her expose us. She didn’t seem to expect me to be here… and then she began saying all these awful things about me.” Doyoung contemplated something for a moment. “You know it was actually kind of funny how she tried to defend herself with a pair of children’s scissors, why ever she had those with her…”</p><p>Doyoung’s eyes were a little glassy as he seemed to let the scene play in his head again but Taeil interrupted him.</p><p>“You are dangerous.”</p><p>The words were spoken calmly; neither judging nor scared. The lines on Doyoung’s forehead disappeared. The atmosphere between them shifted immediately.</p><p>“Not as dangerous as you.”</p><p>The corner of Doyoung’s mouth twitched a little before he smiled the wide gummy smile that Taeil loved so much. This time however he didn’t let that show on his face. In general, Taeil’s surprise had faded. It was almost as if he had had a hunch before that was now confirmed. Instead of giving an answer he just laughed dryly.</p><p>“This has to be our secret, Taeil.” Doyoung’s serious tone mixed with the absurd statement elicited another snide laughter from Taeil.</p><p>“We already have a lot of secrets.”</p><p>“At least now there are none left between us.”</p><p>Doyoung’s eyes turned soft and he leaned down to kiss Taeil, who let him but did not reciprocate.</p><p>“Do you have anything to do with the murders from last week? Are you possibly the König der Herzen – the king of hearts?”</p><p>Silence. They didn’t need to talk since their eyes conveyed much more than words ever could. It was something that distinguished them from most couples. Instead of having to discuss everything in detail for them to reach a point of understanding, that wouldn’t offend anyone they only needed a look into each other’s eyes.</p><p>There was no denying that all those murders lately had occurred at the same time Doyoung went out. The police quickly concluded that they were dealing with a serial killer. Even though the murder weapon was never the same and the victims seemed to be chosen at random they all had one thing in common. Their murderer had cut out their hearts.</p><p>A missing alibi on its own wasn’t strong evidence, especially in a crime case as complex as this one. Nevertheless, Taeil was sure. He had known Doyoung long enough.</p><p>“They could’ve put in a little bit more effort into the name, don’t you think?”</p><p>Taeil rolled his eyes. And pushed Doyoung away from him, giving the third person in the room his undivided attention. Carefully he stepped closer and knelt next to the woman. As he turned around her head to get a better look at her he hissed and closed his eyes. He recognized her. Seeing dead bodies was something he was used to at this point but seeing someone he knew before still hurt.</p><p>“What happened anyways?” Taeil got up and left red footprints on his way to the sink. He thought he had bought bleach a while ago.</p><p>Meanwhile Doyoung didn’t feel the need to make himself useful and nudged the body’s head with his foot. Her beautiful face was now turned towards him and he couldn’t quite look away from her blank dead eyes.</p><p>“Well… as I said, she tried to threaten me with her scissors, and I tried to calm her down…. I… I’m not the most patient person…well you know that.”</p><p>“Oh yes I do.”</p><p>“…yeah and I tried to throw her out, but she knew too much and you know how much I hate blackmailing people…”</p><p>“Doyoung…”</p><p>“Well yeah she suddenly ran into my knife.”</p><p>Silence.</p><p>“She ran into my knife ten times.”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>After Doyoung had explained the course of events in such an enlightening way, Taeil needed a moment before he opened his mouth again. Meanwhile the two of them had wrapped the body into a<br/>
bedsheet. With great effort, Taeil had removed the bloodstains from the floor.</p><p>Now that the puzzle pieces were slowly coming together everything appeared to be even more complicated.</p><p>Was knowledge enough to justify death? If this were a mafia movie the answer would be clear. Taeil however, preferred to think he was part of a hero’s story. With Doyoung as the main character. He never said it out loud, but he admired the man at his side a great deal. Doyoung was a good person. Someone that helped the oppressed and took care of the bad guys…. In his way.</p><p>Sometimes his sense of morality was a little crooked and now he had shown his impulsiveness too, but Taeil was completely whipped for Doyoung and knew how to ignore all those things.</p><p>“I can’t believe I’m in love with such an amateurish murderer.”</p><p>Taeil threw the third blood-soaked rag into the trash can. Right, he would have to dispose of those later as well. Maybe burning everything would remove most of the traces. The same would happen to the woman who was now chopped up and stuffed into Taeil’s favorite sports bag. (“HEY, I STILL NEED THAT” – “It’s the only one that can fit all of her…. I promise I’ll buy you a new one…”)</p><p>“This is an exception. I didn’t plan this.” Doyoung began and didn’t appear to be disgruntled in the slightest. More like the opposite. Taeil’s comment had put a stupid grin on his face. Slowly he stepped towards his lover and put his hands on the smaller man’s shoulders.</p><p>“That won’t make a difference to her.” Taeil looked at Doyoung and pulled up an eyebrow.</p><p>“She kept her heart….”</p><p>“Instead you chopped her into pieces and stuffed her into my new sports bag.”</p><p>There was no answer, just a small sigh as Doyoung pulled the other into his arms, those strong arms that Taeil adored so much. The feeling of security always gave him the chills and made him nuzzle closer to the other’s body. Over the years things tend to fade away or lose their magic, yet Doyoung’s touch never failed to make Taeil fall for him a little harder.</p><p>“Thanks for staying by my side, no matter what.” Doyoung’s voice was nothing more than a whisper, his eyes were closed shut. He meant it. All of Taeil’s affection was only worth so much, because it was being returned equally.</p><p>That’s why he could only smile coyly and place his hands on both of his lover’s cheeks, framing his face carefully like it was a treasure. Being the smaller one, Taeil had to get on his tiptoes to peck the other’s lips gently, making him open his eyes. Both exchanged soft smiles.</p><p>“Always.“</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Hey there!<br/>This is chapter two! It's super short, but I almost finished chapter three and it's hella long, so balance will be preserved :D<br/>This one's a flashback. The story is going to include quite a few, since they are essential not only to give the characters more depth, but also to drive the plot. <br/>Again, thanks to my friend for translating my Denglisch version into proper English and German. And thanks to everyone reading this story! You are super fresh, aye!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. You are a wizard?</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>And there was Donghyuck, still sitting in front of the TV without it making any sound. Johnny and him might have selected a movie, but they hadn’t started it yet. Johnny wasn’t even in the room to begin with, he left with Taeil to help him get his injection and without the younger boy noticing it. Instead, Donghyuck had grabbed his phone again, staring intensely at the screen or, to be more concrete,  at the last text from his classmate.</p><p>[ShuaiShuai] Let’s hang out.</p><p>[ShuaiShuai] :D</p><p>Ignoring the ridiculous amount of smileys Lucas had been using throughout the entire conversation so far, everything he fabricated made no sense to Donghyuck. At all. How come the new boy suddenly reached out to him? The golden boy whom criticising seemed to equal some sort of blasphemy in the eyes of his schoolmates.</p><p>Silently blaming Renjun for this entire dilemma, Donghyuck chose to not decline the offer, but ignore it altogether.</p><p>With a dramatic sigh Donghyuck stood up and immediately regretted it when he felt dizzy. Was this karma for ignoring the text? Maybe. But maybe he just didn’t drink enough today. His mouth was rather dry now that he thought about it.</p><p>Donghyuck chose water as his remedy of choice for which he had to move to the kitchen. On the way he could pick up Johnny, who probably couldn’t get away from his crush again. Nothing Donghyuck wasn’t used to at this point.</p><p>So, he stepped into the hallway and immediately noticed that the door to Taeil’s room wasn’t closed. Quietly he moved towards it. Of course, he knew about the concept of privacy, but he was also aware of his own duties as professional annoyance and has always been too curious for his own good. Which meant that there was no other choice for him really, but to listen in on the pair.</p><p>“... of course it hurts. And it’ll keep on hurting until you return to give me the next shot.”</p><p> </p><p>Taeil’s voice sounded rather irritated. It gave Donghyuck the impression eavesdropping might be interesting, so he inched closer to the door, not daring to peek inside yet.</p><p>“I already asked for something less… torturing. But nothing else’s effective and I can’t change your verdict, my moonlight.”</p><p>Donghyuck grimaced and had to swallow harshly, suddenly concerned Johnny’s pet names might make him vomit soon.</p><p>“And I embrace it, I’ve been playing my part for long enough, right?”</p><p>“You behaved, yes, but it is no play, honey. You’ve broken the rules and now you… oh hi Donghyuck.”</p><p>Donghyuck had tried to lean closer to peep and see both in a hopefully G-rated manner, but failed by moving the ajar door with his shoulder, making it squeak. Heck, even the damn door seemed to play him dirty today.</p><p>With an awkward cough the young boy entered the room, finding Taeil lying on the bed with Johnny sitting on the edge of it. Taeil had an empty syringe in his hand which he quickly pulled out his arm and tensed up after noticing Donghyuck.</p><p>“I thought you were helping him, how come you just sit there and watch him do it himself?”, Donghyuck asked to quickly change the fact he’d been eavesdropping too long to not be interested, yet too short to actually understand what’s going on.</p><p>“Johnny doesn’t trust me. Who knows, I might just throw everything away if there’s no one looking”, Taeil suddenly sounded amused, the bitterness still seeping through and Johnny was quick to protest.</p><p>“What? No, I’d trust you with my life, Taeil.”</p><p>“Then maybe just not with syringes.”</p><p> </p><p>Shortly after this Taeil had thrown them both out after vehemently denying the goodnight kiss Johnny had tried to place on his cheek. The sight of them both was as tragic as it was entertaining, but Donghyuck’s amused expression quickly faltered after noticing the worried expression on Johnny’s face. The entire issue surrounding Taeil’s disease has always been a sensitive topic and most of Donghyuck’s questions were left unanswered. At a younger age, Donghyuck had simply assumed Taeil suffered from diabetes. While his not so secret admirer Johnny had always showered him with sickly sweet words, Taeil’s body might just have been in desperate need of some insulin. However, the man’s tendency for glucose overconsumption spoke against it, so Donghyuck ventured yet another uneducated guess rooted in the few hints intoxicated Johnny had dropped over the years.  Antipsychotics. It was never confirmed though, since everyone avoided the topic like the pest.</p><p>But it happened way too often that Donghyuck and Taeyong woke up from blood curdling screams coming from Taeils room and finding said man drenched in sweat and shaking from the aftermath of his nightmare. It was proof enough for Donghyuck to assume Taeil was suffering from things way worse than merely a pancreas dysfunction. </p><p>“Let’s get this party started.” Johnny plopped down on the sofa and stretched out his long limbs. Donghyuck stepped over the other’s legs and settled down next to his self-proclaimed uncle. Johnny grabbed the remote and Donghyuck his smartphone. There it was again. This annoying text.</p><p>[ShuaiShuai] Let’s hang out</p><p>[ShuaiShuai] :D</p><p>Donghyuck stared at the display as if he could erase the texts by staring hard enough. The smiley seemed to mock him. It probably even did that, considering Donghyuck didn’t appear to be able to text a simple ‘no’ back. Sure, Lucas would maybe even try it again, but that wouldn’t help him in figuring out the others motivation behind the text. Maybe those fairies from Renjuns books had taken over Lucas and planned on leading him into a trap? Was he overthinking this? Yes definitely. But that was not going to make him stop.</p><p>Suddenly the message disappeared. Not just like that, no, his smartphone disappeared with it. Johnny had snatched the phone from his hands and was now inspecting the messages.</p><p>“Euhm, excuse me?” </p><p>Donghyuck immediately reached out to get it back. </p><p>“Ever heard of privacy?”</p><p>“You’re one to talk.” Johnny said dryly and held the phone up, out of the shorter’s reach. Damn those long limbs. Johnny started typing something with his thumb and shortly before panicking Donghyuck could tackle him, Johnny dropped the phone and Donghyuck grabbed it with a huff.</p><p>“Is this the guy Renjun mentioned in the car?”</p><p>“Yup.” </p><p>“Give the kid a chance.” Johnny started the movie and leaned backed, completely unaffected by the death glares Donghyuck was giving him.</p><p>Suddenly the phone in his hands buzzed and the younger averted his gaze, noticing what Johnny had done.</p><p>[FullSun] ok! </p><p>[ShuaiShuai] Nice! </p><p>[ShuaiShuai]  :) </p><p>[ShuaiShuai] You go to choir practice tomorrow, right? </p><p>[ShuaiShuai] Let’s meet after that!</p><p>[ShuaiShuai] :D</p><p> </p><p><br/>
The next morning it wasn’t Taeil who woke Donghyuck up but instead his brother. However, it wasn’t on purpose. But who wouldn’t be annoyed if their best friend was not able to differentiate between salt and sugar?</p><p>“What maniac pours 100g of salt into their cupcake batter?!” Donghyuck’s room was right next to the kitchen and so he heard every single one of Taeyong’s angrily shouted words.</p><p>“Well, it would help if you’d label your ingredients and wouldn’t put them in identical looking containers?”</p><p>“Don’t tell me you can’t differentiate salt and sugar? You didn’t even try the batter before putting everything into the oven?”</p><p>“Well no? Looks pretty much the same to me.”</p><p>“So what’s next, Yuta Nakamoto? Do you also mix up flour with cocaine?”</p><p>Yuta Nakamoto. That was the name of Taeyong's best friend, with whom he had gone clubbing yesterday. The two literally stuck together, when Taeyong wasn't hanging out in Yuta's apartment in his spare time, the Japanese was lying on their sofa. The condition for the latter was not even the presence of Taeyong himself, sometimes Yuta simply came by and lounged around with them until his best friend would come home from work. Johnny didn't think much of him, liked to call him a hobo, but since Johnny only came by so rarely, his opinion didn’t count. Everyone else in the household got along well with him.</p><p>Of Jungwoo, Taeyong's kindergarten colleague, Johnny thought similarly little. Jungwoo had introduced Taeyong and Yuta to each other and hence was responsible for the chaotic duo. And although Jungwoo shared a small apartment with the Japanese in order to save money, he didn't know much about Yuta's profession either. Yuta was a free spirit and seemed to emulate a new vision every month. In any case, he would not become a baker.</p><p>Donghyuck had gotten up by now, as had Johnny, since they met in the hallway and exchanged amused smiles. However, the younger one quickly noticed that Johnny was coming from Taeil's room. Donghyuck could hardly open his mouth before he already got his answer.</p><p>“He’s off to work already. Had nightmares all night through.” </p><p>Donghyuck only nodded without questioning the older and both made their way into the kitchen to join the two squabblers. Yuta was standing in the kitchen, holding onto the frosting bowl and kept dipping his finger into the sweet mixture. By contrast, Taeyong still stared stunned at the sad thing his best friend had just pulled out of the oven. Knowing Taeyong, Donghyuck was sure his brother would hold a grudge against Yuta for quite a while.</p><p>"Maybe this is God giving you a sign?" Yuta began quietly, looking a little unsettled at Taeyong. And the caution was more than necessary, because Taeyong suddenly turned around, reached for the cooking spoon and raised it threateningly, looking ready to kill.</p><p>"Don't you dare!"</p><p>“Oh, these were supposed to be for Father Jaehyun?” Johnny approached Yuta and dipped his little finger into the frosting to taste it. “You’re so naughty Tae, thirsting for a man whose heart is already taken.”</p><p>Taeyong was quick to hold his wooden weapon in Johnny’s direction instead, obviously feeling called out by the latter's statement. “Don’t you think Jaehyun would be open for polygamy? Jesus shouldn’t have that fine man all for himself, damn.”</p><p>“... sounds like you already have a special place in hell reserved for you.” Yuta smiled only before he pushed Donghyuck's hand away as he tried to grab hold of the frosting.</p><p>Johnny crossed his arms. “I think you will join him down there, Yuta. You are only going to church to stalk that high-schooler.” </p><p>Yuta snorted indignantly and Donghyuck used his carelessness to steal the bowl from him. Satisfied, he took the spoon and began shoveling the frosting into his mouth. What a healthy breakfast. "Let's just get ready, hm? We're running late for practice."</p><p> </p><p><br/>
They were indeed running late and failed to arrive at church in time. The reason for this was, besides the Cupcake Disaster, which was not mentioned again at Taeyong's request, the battle for the seating arrangement in Johnny's Tesla. Normally, the troupe took the metro, but now that the rich swanky uncle was visiting with his expensive swanky car, this had to be exploited.</p><p>They arrived exactly ten minutes late and Taeyong stormed into the church, apologies pouring out of his mouth like waterfalls. The choir was already gathered in the altar area, all looking over as the other members rushed up the aisle. There was a tall man in a tracksuit slowly approaching them. He ran one hand through his messy black hair, the bright smile on his face brightened the hall. There were few people with an aura as strong as Father Jaehyun's, his presence alone made Donghyuck and the others feel instantly comfortable. As they stood in front of him, Taeyong fell silent, suddenly feeling silly for making a scene. </p><p>“Where is Taeil?” was the first thing that left Jaehyun's lips, making Taeyong pout. Of course, the only one getting special attention is the priest’s best friend who wasn’t even present. Next time he really needed to step up his cupcake game.</p><p>"And thank you for coming, I am glad you all made it." Jaehyun didn't seem annoyed in the least when they returned to the rest of the choir together. He never did, and you felt rather bad that you didn't even have to bother to make up an excuse.</p><p>"Taeil is at work." Johnny responded in a similarly defiant manner as a kid whose GameBoy had just been taken away to send him out to play outside. He settled in the first row of seats, not being part of the choir after all. Donghyuck knew he was looking forward to hearing Taeil sing and so was Jaehyun, who suddenly looked a little distressed.</p><p>"Taeil is supposed to prepare for his solo tomorrow!" the priest said, looking back and forth between each of his sheep, throwing all plans for tomorrow's service overboard in his head.</p><p>"Euhm actually...", Donghyuck began confidently, but Father Jaehyun's big expectant eyes on him lowered his volume, "... Taeil wanted me to take over his part."</p><p>“But are you sure that you should?” Johnny wasn’t really questioning Donghyuck’s abilities, rather he was challenging them.</p><p>Donghyuck was still annoyed. "Silence on the cheap seats!"</p><p>“There is no such thing in our church, every seat is worth the same. God will find you in every corner of this building.” Jaehyun added disapprovingly. </p><p>While Jaehyun might be right and to God it really made no difference, your seat was surely important when you wanted to see the priest himself in full glory. The priest attached himself as little as possible to the all-too seductive stimuli of our capitalist world and showed a very limited consumer behaviour. What ended up on his plate came mostly from his own cultivation, the clothes on his body were worn parts from the clothes container, of which he also did not own much. Accordingly, the slender man would look lost in his worn-out, bleached rags, if his outrageously handsome face wouldn't make up for everything. An exception were the Sunday services, when Father Jaehyun slipped on a low-cut satin suit. Instead of a priest, he looked more like a catwalk model who had been on his way to Fashion Week. The fact that half of the churchgoers came for this sight alone was not a presumption but a fact.</p><p>"Jesus will probably find Johnny only thanks to his height." Yuta chuckled and approached the object of his desire sneakily by placing an arm around Donghyuck, who was heading towards his best friend Renjun. And who stood next to Renjun? Their classmate Sicheng, his face sour like a lemon. He immediately saw through the Japanese's plan.</p><p>"Might be true." Placing both of his feet on the kneelers before leaning back, Johnny suddenly noticed the priest looking at him with alert eyes.</p><p>"Height is no factor here. Jesus is always in your heart, Johnny." Jaehyun pulled up the zipper of his tracksuit and turned on his heels to make his way towards the other in a painfully slow and graceful manner.</p><p>"I am pretty sure there is no space anymore." Donghyuck crossed his arms, watching the scene before him unfold. All eyes were on Jaehyun and Johnny. The latter showed off a smirk before answering. "Yeah, Taeil is quite thick."</p><p>Jaehyun smiled knowingly and placed a hand on Johnny's shoulder. While the other choir members suppressed laughter, the man on the bench gave in and immediately removed his feet from the kneelers.</p><p>The priest seemed content and patted the others shoulder gently. "You know, letting go just means to let God do his work. He will open new doors for you. Please consider this, Johnny."</p><p>Johnny received the broad hint, his playful expression faltering in an instant. Those could have been anyone else's words and he would have brushed them off. But it had been Father Jaehyun's. The man who was not only on good terms with the Lord but with Taeil as well. If Taeil felt the need to pour his heart out, it’d be to the priest, not to Johnny who only showed up once a month.<br/>
Sensing the sudden shift in atmosphere, the priest turned back to his sheep in front of the altar, clapping his hands together, smile bright as usual. "Let's start practice, shall we?"</p><p> </p><p>"... yeah, but if I'd ask God to give me a bike, he wouldn't just give me one." Choir practice just ended five minutes ago and Renjun was already starting to shower Jaehyun with his questions. The initiator of such conversations was usually Taeil, but the rest always liked to get involved. And Jaehyun loved that. He always encouraged his sheep to ask critical questions. God was used to that, so they shouldn't be afraid to express doubt.</p><p>This was also the reason why the choir did not simply disperse at the end of the rehearsal but retreated to the adjacent garden behind the church for the rest of the morning to spend some time together.</p><p>"You could steal one and ask God for forgiveness, isn't this how things work?" Donghyuck suggested with a grin and Father Jaehyun simply smiled, always assuming Donghyuck little teases and silly comments were actually heartfelt approaches to the act of problem solving.</p><p>"God will send you his love instead...," the priest began, briefly stalling as the small gate to the garden didn’t open immediately. Barely a blink of an eye later, a circle had formed around Jaehyun unsolicited, quietly asking if he needed help. Jaehyun raised his head and looked wordless at everyone, the surprise in his face almost being as odd as his team acting so worried as if their leader just got shot in the chest. They couldn't help it of course, Jaehyun's attention simply felt like some sort of curse, wait no, a blessing, that would brighten up your world for the rest of the day. Taeyong used to rant about Jaehyun always looking up to Jesus, when the priest himself had the aura of a freaking saint himself. </p><p>The silence after the countless offers of help continued to spread, as Jaehyun took time to give each of his protégés a warm smile individually. Not only would his eyes shrink into the form of two crescent moons, the dimples on each side of his cheek also made their appearance. His dimples themselves had a fanclub, with Taeyong being the self-named president. Did the priest know that he held everyone around him in the palm of his hand? Donghyuck had known Jaehyun for half of his life and could say with absolute certainty that he was not aware of the power he held.</p><p>"Besides..." Jaehyun spoke again as his attention returned to the garden gate. The first attempt to open it might have failed, but just a slightly stronger shove was enough to clear the way to potatoes, onions and carrots. The gate flew open and the priest entered as if nothing had happened. "With the Lords' love, you will find the strength to work hard and...”</p><p>"... and earn the money for the car yourself?" Yuta chimed in, his gaze was already resting on Sicheng, who had been consciously at Renjun's side all the time to start small talk in Chinese with him, in case the Japanese dared to approach him.</p><p>"... realize that you did not depend on such materialistic goods all along. We consume in sheer despair to fill that empty void in our hearts, when we carry the solution in us already at all times."</p><p>The conversation went on as the choir members all settled in the garden, sitting down on the neatly cut grass or on one of the few benches. For Donghyuck the talking all faded into mere background noise. He paused for a moment to admire the view around him, the priest really took good care of the garden.</p><p>"So..." Renjun interrupted the silence and waited until he had Donghyuck's attention, "when are you planning on breaking it to me?"</p><p>"What exactly?"</p><p>"Your date."</p><p>Renjun stared into Donghyuck’s confused face and added. "Sicheng told me."</p><p>Raising both of his eyebrows in realization. Ah right, the meeting. This morning he had decided to ignore it for as long as possible. Donghyuck looked over to said Chinese boy next to them who was stretching his limbs out like a cat. "It's no secret, is it?", Sicheng hummed and pulled out his phone to check the time. "By the way, you should leave now."</p><p>Donghyuck checked the time himself, also noticing the new texts he got.</p><p>[ShuaiShuai] Hi I arrived </p><p>[ShuaiShuai] :D</p><p>[ShuaiShuai] I'll be waiting at the entrance</p><p>[ShuaiShuai] It's super hot tho :(</p><p>[ShuaiShuai] My hero come save meee</p><p> </p><p>When Donghyuck looked up he noticed his best friend peeking at the screen. "This is all your fault!" Whiningly, he pushed Renjun away before he rose, more or less ready to set off. He might not have wanted to go, but ditching people was not his style either.</p><p>Renjun only laughed and looked up to him with wiggling eyebrows. It would be so easy to kick him in the face. "Get along well!"</p><p>Haechan sent him a death glare, using his middle finger to scratch his nose. "Consider yourself lucky that Father Jaehyun is watching... I hope your date Monday sucks and your fantasy fairies come to abduct you before I'll kick your ass." Next to Renjun, Sicheng appeared to be unable to hide a grin.</p><p> </p><p>After a short farewell and the promise to Father Jaehyun to prepare well for his solo, Donghyuck left the garden. He had to force himself not to move forward in slow motion, even though Lucas had already been waiting for a few minutes and a few more wouldn’t hurt. Who knows, maybe he wasn't there. Maybe someone would jump out of the bushes and throw a cake in his face, like for a hidden camera. Maybe it wasn't even Lucas who wanted to make fun of him. The whole thing might as well be Renjun's diabolical plan.</p><p>"Donghyuck!"</p><p>Ok, no cake. Instead, Lucas sat in front of the church entrance, a smile just as sweet plastered on his face. Donghyuck raised only one hand to wave until he stood before the other. Lucas rose and immediately towered over the smaller boy.</p><p>"So, and now?" Donghyuck replied with all the bundled euphoria that God had just given him along the way. Which meant none. And Lucas’ broad grin wasn’t particularly contagious either, but that was because of Donghyuck's iron will to not stroke the other's ego. Moreover, the chances of suffering from a stiff neck after the meeting were more than rosy. The size difference between the two was considerable, but it didn't take on the critical scale of Taeil and Johnny.</p><p>"Do you like ice cream?" </p><p>Donghyuck had just chosen the asphalt as a more exciting sight, so the question forced him to look up again with a frown. </p><p>"Euhm, duh?" </p><p>Did the school’s heartthrob really want to invite him to eat ice cream at their first meeting? Only cinema would be even less creative, and that would be tempting, since Donghyuck could evade any kind of conversation. But compared to two-week-old popcorn, ice cream sounded like a much better option in today’s hot weather... Especially if you don't have to pay for it...</p><p>"Cool, me too." Lucas grinned broadly, followed by silence.</p><p>The expectant silence spread like tough chewing gum, and with every moment as both continued to quietly walk along the main road towards the city centre, Donghyuck's thoughts became more colourful. He could suggest that they go to his favorite ice cream shop at the park. It was a tiny inconspicuous shop, quickly overlooked, if an endless queue did not form in front of the counter in the summer. At least that was the case in the past. Ice cream parlours were available in the area and the new, large chain stores generated more and more sales. But who needed 31 synthetic ice cream flavours if none of them could keep up with the natural taste of the small traditional shop? Donghyuck loved the combination of vanilla and green tea, preferably large with sprinkles.</p><p>"And pets? Are you a cat or dog person?"</p><p>"Excuse me?"</p><p>Lucas blinked bewildered and looked at Donghyuck, who was staring back slightly soured. Slowly he returned to the assessment that Lucas really just wanted to troll him. How could he dare to mention ice cream in this heat and change the subject in the next breath?</p><p>"Sorry, was that too personal? I'm just trying to break the ice..."</p><p>"I'd rather eat the ice, let's go get some."</p><p>"Oh, good idea! Your treat?"</p><p>"Wait what?"</p><p>Lucas looked down at the younger man with a cheeky grin and patted him on the shoulder. "I'm joking. I'll give you the chance to lose against me in rock-paper-scissors first."</p><p>Donghyuck rolled his eyes and started walking faster to speed up their snail's pace and set the direction. "The odds are not in your favor today, boy."</p><p> </p><p>Half an hour and a good bunch of questions later, the two sat in front of the small ice cream shop, both quietly watching the children playing in the adjacent park for a moment. Donghyuck ate some of his vanilla and green tea ice cream, a combination that Lucas had adopted on recommendation. The smile on his face revealed that it couldn't taste too bad. The fact that he had lost and thus paid for Donghyuck did not seem to bother him either.</p><p>"So..." Lucas had practically inhaled his ice cream within a few minutes and was now curious about the other again; the interrogation was not yet complete. "... you're a wizard, right?"</p><p>"I'm a what?"</p><p>"A wizard. Those creeps that use wands to do magic and ride on broomsticks just to flex."</p><p>"Lucas, I know what a wizard is."</p><p>Donghyuck looked at the other, a deep frown on his face.  He wondered how quiet Sicheng was able to get along with all that nonsense the other fabricated. Then again, he was also friends with Renjun, so no surprise there. "If you meant to compliment me, wouldn't a comparison to a fairy be more fitting?"</p><p> “A fairy?" Now wrinkles had formed on Lucas’ forehead, with sudden intrusiveness he looked at the other, whose ice cream was already melting over his fingers, whereupon Lucas handed him a napkin, but without turning off his gaze or even blinking.  "You're no manipulator. And I am pretty sure a fairy wouldn't be able to turn a few dozen math tests into a stack of blank paper."</p><p>“Well I didn’t do it either, so...”</p><p>“You didn’t?” Lucas' stern expression faltered quickly.</p><p>“As much as I’d like to take credit for yesterday… nope. Wasn’t me. No idea what happened.” Donghyuck shrugged, still busy freeing his fingers from the sticky leftovers while eating the ice cream. “Would be kinda neat to do magic, though…”</p><p>“It sure has it perks…”</p><p>"It's my turn now." Donghyuck announced out of nowhere.</p><p>"It sure is."</p><p> Lucas mimicked Donghyuck after noticing him standing up. "Euhm, turn to do what though?"</p><p>"Ask questions."</p><p>"Ah, oh, sure. I am super ready." As they both entered the park, Lucas cracked both his neck and knuckles, earning nothing but a glare from Donghyuck.</p><p>"That's gross."</p><p>"And that's not a question." Lucas grinned and flicked the others forehead. Or at least tried to before being shoved away harshly.</p><p>"Argh, could you not...? Ok, Chicken or Beef?"</p><p>"Both!"</p><p>"No!"</p><p>"Yes!"</p><p>"That's not how it works, Lucas."</p><p>"I choose pork then."</p><p>"Where did you learn to be so annoying?"</p><p>Lucas snickered and hummed in response. "It's an innate skill. My brother only helped me to refine it."</p><p>"Oh no, there are two of your kind? Your parents must be going places..." Donghyuck slowly shook his head and tried to imagine a copy of Lucas at the dining table with the original and two desperate parents. One was enough to get on Donghyuck’s nerves but the double pack?  "Is he older than you?"</p><p>"Youn.. older. But I'm the more handsome one."</p><p>Donghyuck rolled his eyes. He did this so often in Lucas’ presence that he already feared that his eyes might take damage from it. Of course, there was absolutely nothing wrong with a healthy dose of self-confidence, but Donghyuck's new classmate was so shameless, so blunt and ruthlessly honest that it was almost impressive. But Donghyuck rather thought of it as the purest form of arrogance. That is precisely why he did not mention it and preferred to delve deeper into the real issue. "So, are you and your family settled in by now?"</p><p>Lucas stiffened immediately, and he dodged Donghyuck's gaze, who in return did not push back and waited for a long moment before the answer followed.<br/>
"Actually, I came to Korea by myself... and that's fine! I am fully capable of living on my own. My cooking skills even exceed instant ramen and fried eggs!" Lucas' reply sounded way too happy and thus failed to fully cover the sadness hidden underneath.</p><p>"You're all by yourself? But you aren't even legal yet..."</p><p>Lucas nodded quickly; his usual smiling appearance completely recovered. "I have a legal guardian checking in once in a while. Might be a good thing having someone to force me to do my laundry and the dishes."</p><p>Suddenly, Donghyuck felt bad for him. Bad, because he could relate all too well to having parents that were never there. He couldn't even remember his parents' faces properly and he really didn't feel the need to refresh his memory. There was no reason to dig out the few photos from the bottom drawer of Taeyong's night cabinet. They had been lying there untouched for years. The last time Donghyuck took them out was on his eighth birthday and he put them on the dining table, next to the cake he had baked with Taeyong and Taeil. Originally, his parents had announced that they would come visit them again for the first time in years. Donghyuck, who at that time was still holding on to the idea of an intact family, had been able to keep his anticipation weeks in advance and could even infect Taeyong with it. But when the three were still sitting in front of the untouched cake at midnight, the two places of honor decorated with garlands still empty, it was Taeil who was the first to say it.  "They're not going to come."</p><p>"I guess we have something in common. That's a first." Donghyuck showed off a little smile and Lucas soaked that small ray of positivity in to send back the doubled amount with a wide grin.</p><p>"There's far more, you know. We are both very handsome."</p><p>Lucas wiggled his eyebrows and earned himself a forehead flick he didn't even try to dodge.</p><p>"All this love for yourself and you still have some to share?"</p><p>"Well, if I'm gonna shine, others can do too, right? I'd rather be part of a bright night sky than a lonely polar star in a deep black night."</p><p>Surprised, Donghyuck looked at the other. Quite apart from how cheesy and slimy Lucas' comment was right now, Dongyhyuck did not expect to hear him from his mouth. And he wasn't sure if Lucas was still talking about his appearance.</p><p> </p><p>Lucas may have picked him up, but when he suggested escorting Donghyuck to the front door, he refused. There was no need for him to do that and it was something that only Mark should have the privilege to do. "Do you have nothing better to do?" Donghyuck had asked him, less annoyed and instead a bit amused. Lucas had denied without flinching, and after a brief discussion, both of them had agreed that Lucas would take him to the metro station. He had to go there anyways, Lucas had claimed. But when Donghyuck waved at him and passed the ticket counter, he turned around again and saw the other heading to the exit through which both had come. What an idiot. </p><p>Just as much of an idiot as Johnny, who besieged him in the hallway after his return home. "So? Details?"</p><p>Taeyong stretched his head out of the living room and looked at his little brother curiously. But he did not seem to be in a mood to share the meeting in its individual parts with the others and leaned only against the apartment door. He didn't bother to take off his shoes, knowing they had to leave for Wendy's soon.</p><p>"Let the kid breathe." Taeil came to Donghyuck's defense in his Bugs Bunny slippers, carrying fat Gilbert like a newborn in his arms. He looked fine, considering him not getting much sleep before working overtime early in the morning.</p><p>Donghyuck was glad at least one person in this household had the decency to give him some space.</p><p>Taeil let the cat down with a smirk. "We first need something to eat before serving the tea, right?"</p><p>Well, nevermind.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>"So, now everything should be done!" Wendy once clapped her hands, the satisfied smile briefly overshadowed by indecision. She seemed to be unsure with herself, her mouth open, ready to give a long speech for the troupe gathered here. Wendy was very creative and very conscientious, every dinner she invited them to was a big project for her. First, a determined theme was picked, that decided what the served dishes and the room decoration were going to be. Donghyuck suspected that this was to distract from the fact that only vegan food was on the table. But for Wendy it was probably a kind of hobby besides gardening and no one had ever dared to criticize her for it. Or in general. Except when the lady's little speech dragged on for so long that the food had become cold and everything had to be brought back into the kitchen and reheated.</p><p>"Bon appetit, Wendy!" Donghyuck said with a smile, Wendy closed her mouth and nodded. Normally it was Wendy's husband Henry who slowed down his wife's efforts somewhat and saved the others from starvation. However, he was on a business trip that day, as he often was. Mark clearly had his workaholic mentality from his father.</p><p>And now the moment had come, Donghyuck and his dinner met. Carefully, he took the burger-like something off his plate and stared at it distrustingly. He didn't even know why he was so reluctant to give Wendy's creations a chance every time. Wendy wasn't a bad cook, but her love for beans was too much for the passionate carnivore Donghyuck.</p><p>A small kick from the person next to him was enough to remind him that he somehow had to get the thing in his hands into his digestive tract. Donghyuck glared at Taeyong, but then boldly took a bite. The bun was crisp, as was the salad and the pattie... was delicate and juicy at the same time. It was a poem, a pure explosion of taste, and Donghyuck immediately felt bad for ever questioning Wendy's cooking. Were they really normal beans? Or the result of crazy genetic manipulation?</p><p>"This is amazing..." Donghyuck muttered more to himself, but loud enough that the others could pick it up.</p><p>"Really? Oh, I am so glad you like it!" Wendy's face beamed with pride and she didn't notice the others at the table throwing incredulous glances at him. Not because they didn't like it themselves. But because Donghyuck had never praised Wendy's vegan cuisine without prompting.</p><p>Donghyuck looked at the others and huffed, suddenly feeling the need to defend himself. "I am serious!" He took another bite in defiance, again it felt like Heaven.  In disbelief, he picked up the burger, looked at it extensively. With the myriad bean variations he had already tried out of respect for Wendy...</p><p>Just that this burger wasn't made out of beans. A more intensive inspection of the pattie only made him more dumbfounded, but a glance at the plate of the others revealed to him that they had something different between their buns. But why would Wendy serve him meat? She wouldn't even touch it...</p><p>"So Donghyuck, tell us about your date!" Yuta had finished his burger first and was now leaning back with a broad, well-knowing grin. At home, he might have been able to dodge the curious questions, but here he wouldn’t stand a chance. Donghyuck knew this when he saw Wendy's eyes light up.</p><p>"A date!" Wendy spoke with an open mouth, noticing her carelessness and simply holding a napkin in front of her mouth as a solution. "Tell me about that lucky girl, I need details!"</p><p>"It wasn't a date! We only went for ice cream."</p><p>Taeil finished too, he placed his elbows on the table to support his head with his hands. "Ice cream! Ah, that melts my heart."</p><p>What followed was the usual teasing and bickering, Donghyuck shared only a few details, most of them including his classmate's stubbornness and stupidity. All while insisting on them just casually meeting up. Everyone was listening and smiling until Yuta's face darkened. The voice of the Japanese turned serious.</p><p>"... he sounds oddly familiar. Is he tall?"</p><p>"Quite, yes."</p><p>"And he just transferred here from England?"</p><p>"Euhm, yes. Yuta what are..."</p><p>"One a scale of 1 to 10, how much is he a pain in the ass?"</p><p>Donghyuck didn't need to think much. "11."</p><p>"It's him then."</p><p>Wendy, like everyone else except Yuta, didn't seem to follow. "Him?"</p><p>"His name is Lucas by the way...?" Donghyuck looked a little unsettled to Yuta, who sat opposite him and nodded.</p><p>"It's Yukhei." Yuta lowered his head, but quickly eyed Taeil before lowering his gaze.</p><p>The name alone was enough for the atmosphere to turn sour. The youngest at the table had a big question mark written all over his face, yet no one bothered to continue the conversation. The others had all turned pale and exchanged looks. Donghyuck was used to the feeling of being left out, he knew the people in his life were full of secrets. But while isolation from information was something he was used to, it didn't mean Donghyuck would accept it. He opened his mouth to dig further into the matter, but Johnny was quicker.</p><p>"Did you know about it, Taeil?" Johnny spoke a little too calmly, his eyes were piercing. The man who was sitting in front of him at the other side of the table didn't feel intimidated. Taeil simply burst out a stunned and cold laugh. A sound that Donghyuck was not accustomed to. Taeil, calm and peaceful Taeil, never showed off more than subtle annoyance towards others.</p><p>"How would I know about it, if even Yuta himself did not? Don't start being ridiculous again, please."</p><p>"Well, you didn't bother telling me about that hobo going in and out of your house either. Or that Jungwoo guy working together with Taeyong. In a kindergarten, out of all places! I had no idea for how long… A year?" Now it was normally chill uncle Johnny’s turn to pass the boundary of passive aggression, raising his voice with each word.</p><p>"Hobo? Excuse me, that's my best friend you are talking about." Taeyong joined them, obviously ready to add more fuel to the fire that was about to spark. "And for your information, no one does his job better than Jungwoo."</p><p>"That doesn't make them less of a threat. I still can't believe you let this happen, Taeil. I warned you a thousand times, yet you never listen to me... you should know better." Johnny's voice was a mixture of disappointment, anger and sourness. While he was talking, Wendy placed a hand on Taeil's to calm him down, but it was too late.</p><p>"Why don't you move back in again, hm? You seem to know so well what's good for us. Maybe we could lock Donghyuck in his room to make sure he doesn't see Yukhei again? For his own sake, of course." Taeil's volume now matched Johnny's. And all Donghyuck could do was to look with big eyes from one to the other, firing words like tennis balls in a heated tournament.</p><p>"Just remove that Yukhei guy from school! What the hell is he even doing there, for fuck's sake."</p><p>Taeil jumped up, and he ripped off Wendy's grip around his wrist. "Oh, how bothersome. How about just cutting his head off? Quick and effective."</p><p>The suggestion made Johnny's eyes turn wide. He was already boiling with rage but took a deep breath to choose the following words very carefully.</p><p>"Would you prefer to cut out his heart?"</p><p>That was it, the last straw that broke the camel’s back. For a fraction of a second, pain flickered inside Taeil's eyes before he reached for his wine glass as if electrified and threw it across the table with full force, aiming at Johnny's face. Donghyuck's stomach turned, never before had it escalated so much between the two. His family often had quarrels, but no one ever intentionally uttered anything seriously hurtful. And never, never had anyone been violent before. Helplessly, Donghyuck fixed the glass, which flew over the heads of the others towards his victim. Donghyuck closed his eyes.</p><p>"No!"</p><p>Glass shattered. It splintered with a force that made everyone's blood in the room turn cold. The noise was so loud, so omnipresent, that no one knew where it came from at first. It was like a smooth cut in your ears and it forced you to turn away from instinct.  When the noise fell silent, time seemed to stand still. Everyone in the room held their breath, everyone stared at the boy, who had not even realized that it was him who had uttered the scream. </p><p>"D-Donghyuck..." It was Taeyong, his voice failed before he could say another word.</p><p>Donghyuck, whose eyes were still closed shut, opened them very slowly, that's when he noticed his heart beating rapidly against his rib cage. The sight that presented itself robbed him of the last touch of color from his face, he felt dizzy.</p><p>The white tablecloth in front of him was bathed in deep red, Taeil's wine glass was laying there, in shards. Everything was in shards, to be precise. His own glass, the glasses of the others, the plates, the light bulb, even the window panes had cracked. They were all sitting there in an ocean of shattered glass, no one daring to move an inch.</p><p>It was Johnny who spoke up again after what felt like an eternity. Donghyuck's eyes had filled up with tears, both from fear and grand confusion.</p><p> </p><p>"Donghyuck, you are... you are a wizard?"</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>“No comments from the peanut gallery!” Does anyone actually use that? I replaced it with “cheap seats” in the choir practice scene. I tried to make a pun while writing but noticed it only works in German. Rip me.<br/>Aaanyways, enjoy! This chapter is longer than the first and second combined and there is a lot of information to process. Hope you still liked it!</p><p>AND BTW, if you need some major bops for this long ass ride, I have a Spotify playlist I listen to while writing. Not to brag, but if I’m confident in a thing, it’s my taste of music. Give it a shot!<br/>:D</p><p> </p><p>  <a href="https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0UKT2JAaccFKKQnD4eyjYu?si=L1-BoG9dSxyQVIhGneb8sQ">Playlist</a></p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Is this your first time?</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>I AM SORRY. My original plan was to update every two weeks but I failed. Whatever.  Starting this fic in my last semester of university was probably one of the many not so smart decisions I made in life. Heh.</p><p>I hope you are all doing well, please enjoy this chapter! We are finally leaving the boring human world to enter the magic spheres of Mikal. Whoop whoop.</p><p>Oh and btw, I think I never mentioned the meaning of Lucas' username. Shuai or 帥 is Chinese for handsome or cool. So yeah, we love some confidence, right hahahaha</p><p>k bye, leave comments, stay fresh!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"Donghyuck, you are... you are a wizard?"</p><p>It was the second time on the day that this question was asked. Only this time Donghyuck did not dismiss these words as an outgrowth of madness. Johnny wasn't trying to make one of his lame jokes. Instead, he stared at Donghyuck with wide eyes, slowly starting to comprehend the meaning of all this while the younger's head kept spinning. The ocean of shards in front of them also put Lucas' earlier inquiry into perspective. But still... a wizard?</p><p>Donghyuck didn't affirm. In fact, he wasn't saying anything at all. The boy sat there, face as white as the tablecloth before it had been doused in red wine. While his mind kept running wild, his heart was thumping, his chest was moving up and down. Distracted by the sound of blood passing through his ears, Donghyuck wasn't even able to hear the voices around him clearly; it was all muffled and in far distance.</p><p>In a split second, shivers went down his spine, everything felt hot and stifling. He felt hot, hot and sweaty, the cool evening breeze rushing through the shattered windows was of no help. As Donghyuck lifted his head to look at the people around him, his vision turned blurry and darker with each moment. He gasped for air and that was when his body turned even hotter, his breath faltered, and he felt nauseous. Someone called his name, at least that's what it sounded like. Someone pulled him into a hug, well, that's what it felt like. Darkness took over when he closed his eyes shut.</p><p>Donghyuck wasn't sure if it took a few seconds or hours for him to become fully conscious of his surroundings again. He didn't fully black out, he knew someone put him on his feet, he knew the voices kept calling his name and he knew for sure someone ran his hands through his hair and held him close during the entire car ride back home. It must have been back home when he became conscious again, because now he was sitting on the couch, suddenly shivering despite being wrapped in a blanket. Donghyuck had tried to open his eyes and keep them this way a few times before, but it was in this moment that he finally succeeded. He blinked, his vision finally sharpening in consequence.</p><p>That's when he noticed a pair of eyes staring at him intensely.</p><p>"Hyuckie? Are you ok?"</p><p>That was Taeil. With Donghyuck’s senses all returning back to normal, his voice suddenly sounded strangely clear. Their eyes met and Taeil sighed in relief before stretching out his hand to pinch Donghyuck's cheek. It was gentle, but Donghyuck still managed to grimace.</p><p>"I am wonderful, can't you tell?" he answered, voice raspy and weak.</p><p>"He's himself again, thank God."</p><p>That wasn't Taeil. It was Johnny who was entering their living room with a cookie jar in his hands, Taeyong was trailing behind him, carrying a tray with a tea pot and cups on it. Both placed everything on the table next to the couch and seemed unsure on how to proceed next. Taeyong leaned down and placed a kiss on Donghyuck's hair before kneeling and giving tea to his younger brother. As Donghyuck peeled himself out of his blanket burrito to accept the cup, he was still shaking. And he was tired; tired as if he had spent the last night beating his classmates in Overwatch instead of sleeping. Or maybe three nights in a row, since night owl Donghyuck remembered feeling even more vitalized after two nights of gaming than how he felt now.</p><p>The tea was pleasantly warm in his hands, or presumably it was hot, and Donghyuck's ice-cold hands compensated for the temperature difference. The boy looked up and quietly thanked him. However, he got no answer, Taeyong got up again and sat wordlessly on the armchair next to the couch. While the others had some color on their faces, he was still pale.</p><p>"Cookie?" Johnny did the same as Taeyong just did by kneeling and offering the cookie jars content to the other. Donghyuck, who still struggled to keep his hands still, shook his head slowly, well aware of the fact that the cookie jar was holy and growing up, Taeil had only allowed them to eat one cookie a day. The older he got, the more exceptions he made for Donghyuck and Taeyong, but he still tried to keep an eye on their sugar intake. Today, however, seemed to be an especially exceptional day, judging from the "Eat as much as you like", Taeil added.<br/>
It was only them now, the small family. Considering the circumstances, Yuta must have left, and Wendy simply stayed at home.<br/>
Donghyuck had just taken a sip of his favorite green tea and with Johnny’s help, he carefully put the cup on the table. Meanwhile Taeil put his fat cat on his lap. Gilbert was awfully biased towards the lap of his owner, but he didn't bother being relocated this time. "He's mental support!" Taeil announced and patted Gilbert to make sure he'd stay and lie down. Donghyuck smiled and the smile might have been weak, but he wouldn't rest now. He needed answers.</p><p>"Mental support? Are you about to tell me I'm insane?"</p><p>"Not exactly. But I wouldn't call you normal either." Johnny got up again, stuffing a cookie into his mouth and squeezed himself between Hyuck and Taeil.</p><p>"You said I'm a wizard..." The word rolled off Donghyuck's tongue so easily but left such a weird aftertaste.</p><p>"You probably are. So am I and so is Taeil."</p><p>Donghyuck's gaze fell on the two men next to him. Wizards, them? This wasn't how he imagined them to look like. Well, he didn't look in the mirror before and considered the sight to be magical either.<br/>
"And... Taeyong?" he slowly turned his head to search for his brother's eyes, but Taeyong was staring intensely at the floor. Donghyuck did not avert his gaze.</p><p>"He isn't, well, it's complicated and..." Johnny didn't get to finish, the younger’s words suddenly starting to flow out.</p><p>"And you hide a wand in your backpack and when you are not flexing with your Tesla, you are flexing with your fancy new broomstick? And..."</p><p>Suddenly there was a hand on his shoulder. Taeil, who had to lean over Johnny to reach Donghyuck, looked at him forcefully. "Maybe you just lean back and... let us explain."</p><p>The touch silenced Hyuck, who immediately obeyed. Slowly he leaned back and decided to pat the fat Persian cat instead of staring holes into his biological brother. He knew there was no point in evading the upcoming story time. Even though he would have preferred to be enlightened in a more vital state, the secrets that had been part of his life up until now were finally starting to unravel and Donghyuck wasn't going to let himself be kept in shadows any longer.</p><p>It turned out Donghyuck was born into a family of wizards, but his parents had first deported Taeyong and then him into the human world. Normally, within the first five years of life, it was possible to determine whether a child had magical powers or not and if one child turned out to not be magical, there was an almost 90% chance that any following children wouldn’t be either. Taeyong, born on an island called Mikal, did not show any and thus had to leave, since his birthplace did not allow so called Miskins. Miskins, those wizard-born but non-magical people. When Donghyuck was born their parents decided to have him grow up with Taeyong, since chances were that Hyuck would be a Miskin as well. However, Donghyuck turned out to be a little late with presenting his powers and was now obligated to return to Mikal and well, to their parents. Mikal was a magical island and home to wizards from all around the world. The only wizarding school was also located there and with the glass explosion incident earlier (and the math test debacle), Donghyuck had obligated himself for school attendance. As Johnny stated, without proper education, Donghyuck could easily become a threat if not to control his powers. The school on Mikal, even though without competition, was praised for excellence and enjoyed a good reputation overall.</p><p>"Ugh, but Mikal sucks." Taeil huffed and earned himself a mere glare from Johnny, who was quick to object.</p><p>"Stop holding grudges. It has been our home for quite a long time."</p><p>"Quite a long time ago, till I decided to leave... for good."</p><p>Johnny tensed visibly and took a deep breath. Donghyuck sensed they wandered from the actual subject to enter dangerous terrain again. Meanwhile Taeyong raised his voice for the first time in what felt like ages.</p><p>"You shouldn't be seeing them again. You shouldn't have these powers."</p><p>Donghyuck, fingers still running through the cat's fur, caught his brother's eye. "Are you angry at me?"</p><p>Taeyong sighed. "I am not. I am not jealous either. I pity you." When there was no verbal reaction, he grabbed a cookie and continued. "Being a Miskin... is not that different from being a human, actually. Just that humans would never have the potential to do magic. Miskins on the other hand... They get the short end of the stick. There's wizard blood running through their veins, yet their genes decided to reject those powers coming along with it. They are failures, outcasts that are painfully aware of the magic that surrounds them but will never be part of. Of course, a wizard would never say that to your face, but they call us Miskins for a reason - miskin means being wretched, it means to be pitiable." Taeyong stared at his chocolate cookie and sneered, a little lost in thoughts. "And there is no place for the wretched on Mikal. When our parents noticed my magical powers didn't start to present themselves in only the slightest manner, they got rid of me. They got a convicted wizard to take care of me and forgot that being a parent meant more than paying my school fees. They did the same to you and now Johnny wants to bring you back to them. Back to those people that will welcome you with open arms only because your DNA matched their expectations. You are to be pitied, not me..."</p><p>Taeyong then ate the biscuit loudly, while silence spread. So that was the reason. Donghyuck recalled the countless nights he slipped under the duvet in Taeil’s bed, eyes glassy and quietly sniffing. "What's wrong with me? Why can't my parents love me?" The questions always made Taeil's heart ache and he would always come up with the same excuses. They are incredibly busy, they are in a difficult situation but would certainly do everything they could to see their sons again soon. With each of these excuses Taeil had sounded a bit less convincing. The older Donghyuck became, the less Taeil seemed to believe himself, until one night Taeil ended up saying: "There is nothing wrong with you, Hyuckie... but... I really don't know."</p><p>He knew Taeyong had felt the same, even though he never liked to admit it. He wanted to be the strong older brother and Donghyuck admired him for that, might even have idolized him. Taeyong was everything Donghyuck aspired to be. He was the epitome of a decent human being. Everybody liked him in an instant, he had always been a good student and his looks turned heads on a daily basis. But most importantly, he cared deeply for the people around him. So, the only flaw Taeyong had was supposed to be him not owning magical powers? It was hard to imagine that being the criterion for their parents to abandon this golden child.</p><p>Once more Hyuck didn't quite know how to respond. He could try telling Taeyong what an amazing person he was and that if someone deserved to be a wizard, it should be him. But his brother just made Donghyuck's new identity feel cursed. So, with the tiny fraction of knowledge he had now, he preferred to dig deeper into a matter he felt confident in.</p><p>"Taeil is a criminal?"</p><p>It turned out to be dangerous terrain, again.</p><p>"Let's cover that in another TedTalk. It's late and we all should go to bed." Johnny emphasized his words by standing up rapidly. "Tomorrow we have to leave early."</p><p>"But I still have so many questions?"</p><p>"I will answer them all tomorrow on the way, okay?"</p><p>Taeil took advantage of the vacant space to move up and Donghyuck wasn't sure if he wanted to be closer to him or his cat. "Or on the way home, when you get him back safely."</p><p>Johnny shook his head. "Taeil, I can't tell for sure when we'll return. It's not my decision."</p><p>Taeyong chimed in. "But it's theirs? It should be Taeil's, he's our guardian, the last time I checked."</p><p>"He is, but Donghyuck is a walking powder keg, he needs proper training. Besides, all wizards have to be registered. That's written law, or have you forgotten already, Taeil?"</p><p>The atmosphere today was highly flammable and Donghyuck wanted to avoid more incidents. He was also really tired and he was hoping to get to bed on his own.</p><p>Taeil wanted to fire back, but Hyuck was faster than him.</p><p>"Just one more question!"</p><p>Johnny raised an eyebrow. "Fine."</p><p>"Can I see your wand?"</p><p> </p><p>A few hours later, Donghyuck was laying in his bed. However, not immersed in his dreams, but staring at the ceiling in a highly concentrated manner. At dinner, his entire body had felt as if he had electrical currents running under his skin. Now, however, it was more of a power outage. Donghyuck was exhausted and didn't want to move a millimetre. But his burning desire for sleep was not answered, instead the thoughts kept swirling around in his head. Johnny had denied his last question before a smile finally lit up his face. ("Wands are so old-fashioned. No one really uses them nowadays, except for kids maybe. They are basically like training wheels on a bike and if you use one be prepared to not be taken seriously ever again.") Donghyuck could only accept this answer. However, he would soon be able to make up his own mind, when he and Johnny would make an uncle-nephew trip to this magical island. The more Donghyuck imagined what Mikal might have looked like, the more ridiculous it got. Maybe his entire wizard revelation was all staged and part of Renjun's revenge plan for not joining him on his mushroom trip?</p><p>The sudden buzz of his phone caught him off-guard. Donghyuck stretched out his hand and grabbed the small device. When he turned it around and faced the bright screen he immediately regretted not putting it on night mode. Blinking aggressively at his phone, Hyuck needed a few seconds to read the new text he got.</p><p>[MushroomEnthusiast] I still need details. Don't make me ask Sicheng.</p><p>After clicking on the chat with his best friend, Donghyuck noticed the other had already texted him quite a few times throughout the evening. It started as pure curiousity about the date (that of course, totally wasn't a date if you'd asked Donghyuck) and ended in concern about Hyuck's possible death of food poisoning at Wendy's.</p><p>Under normal circumstances, he wouldn't even have let Renjun wait that long, but now Hyuck deliberately didn't respond to his message. Because there were no normal circumstances at the time. And Donghyuck's thoughts kept coming back to that one question Lucas asked him today only to be repeated by Johnny later on.</p><p>[FullSun] hey ur up?</p><p>In his tired state, it didn't take him too much consideration whether or not he should be texting the guy whose name had sparked the fight that might have ended in Taeil murdering his childhood friend.<br/>
That guy's reply followed almost too quickly.</p><p>[ShuaiShuai] always at your service what’s the matter?<br/>
[ShuaiShuai] :)</p><p>Donghyuck wasn't up for chit-chat, hence jumping right into the matter.</p><p>[FullSun] u asked me if I was a wizard today</p><p>[ShuaiShuai] and you denied!</p><p>[FullSun] it wasnt a joke?</p><p>[ShuaiShuai] why would I joke about that?</p><p>So he was serious all along. Donghyuck took a deep breath and ran one hand through his hair, thinking about what that meant. So what Lucas was... a wizard? A wizard like him, apparently. Suddenly, the picture of Lucas rushing through the sky on a broomstick came to his mind. Lucas, on a broomstick, holding a wand which's use Johnny judged deeply.</p><p>Maybe Lucas was a Miskin instead?</p><p>[ShuaiShuai] why are you asking? did you change your mind?<br/>
[ShuaiShuai] :D</p><p>[FullSun] what if I said maybe</p><p>[ShuaiShuai] you wanna meet up?</p><p>[FullSun] what<br/>
[FullSun] like now??</p><p>[ShuaiShuai] of course!<br/>
[ShuaiShuai] please start taking me seriously<br/>
[ShuaiShuai] :(</p><p>A glance at the clock was enough and Donghyuck came to the conclusion that 04:32AM was not an ideal time for an impromptu meeting.</p><p>[FullSun] im already in my pyjamas</p><p>[ShuaiShuai] you don't have to dress up for me<br/>
[ShuaiShuai] :D<br/>
[ShuaiShuai] but ok wait</p><p>Donghyuck rolled his eyes and was about to answer when a call came in. It was Lucas calling. And it was Donghyuck picking up.</p><p>"Why are you calling?"</p><p>At the other end of the line Lucas chuckled. "I thought you might need to talk?"</p><p>"Mental support, huh? I have a cat for that." Donghyuck sounded amused but spoke softly so he wouldn’t be heard. Johnny wouldn't welcome him to share his concerns with the "threat" in person after this mess in the evening.</p><p>"So you are a cat person after all! You have to introduce me sometime."</p><p>"I'm not sure he'd like you. He doesn't even like me."</p><p>Donghyuck heard only a warm laugh. Apparently, Lucas didn't have to be careful not to wake others up.</p><p>"So... you said you changed your mind?"</p><p>"I did. I argued with my family and was so angry that I had to make a point and turn the whole room into a pile of shards. Was not intentional, by the way."</p><p>"Oh snap. Sounds kinda epic though."</p><p>Donghyuck snorted. Not the reaction he expected, but it was Lucas after all. "Considering I almost blacked out afterwards, I'm not sure if it's a trick to pull at parties from now on."</p><p>"It would be enough if you'd just show it to me the next time we meet. Are you okay now, though?"</p><p>"Not really, but I will be. If I'd actually manage to fall asleep. But why are you still awake?"</p><p>Lucas didn't hesitate to answer. "I don't sleep."</p><p>"Wow, that's convenient.", Donghyuck rolled his eyes again and chuckled lightheartedly. "I'd need a gallon of energy drinks to manage that."</p><p>Again, Lucas’ laughter rang out, then pleasant silence spread. Donghyuck closed his eyes, even if he did not expect to get his well-deserved sleep soon. And because the person at the other end was too curious.</p><p>"So, how do you feel? Being magical and all?"</p><p>"Honestly? I don't think I felt this horrible in a long time. I always knew my family was out of the ordinary, but I thought we wouldn't cross the line of tangible scientific reasoning. But guess what, when I thought vegan bean burgers would be the worst encounter this evening, my life turned into a weird Harry Potter rip-off and our thoroughly buried family drama just crawled out of its grave. And suddenly I am the one looking like a fool next to my best friend, who has been theorizing about the existence of fairies and other magical creatures ever since I remember. Everybody seems to know what's going on. And after being kept in the dark for so long, all this revelation feels like someone is pointing a torch right at my eyes."</p><p>Donghyuck heard the other's acknowledging hum and sighed, feeling just slightly awkward to bombard his classmate with the chaos that was his life.</p><p>"It's normal to feel overwhelmed. I know I was in the beginning. There's a lot to take in after all. But there's so much to discover and learn and I think I'm not very far in both aspects. Just be careful... you will probably leave for Mikal at some point, hm?"</p><p>"Ah yes, tomo... Today. I really have zero idea what to expect. Maybe this all is a fever dream and when I fall asleep, I am actually waking up?" Oh, how Donghyuck wished to be in delirium right now. The other was about to answer, when Hyuck remembered something.</p><p>"Oh and you said wizards use wands? I heard that's completely out of fashion. But maybe it can be considered retro and you are just a hipster. Wizards probably can be hipsters too, right?" Despite his exhaustion, Donghyuck couldn't stop the questions pouring out of his mouth like water out of a breached dyke. Lucas did not interrupt him, but he made some sounds of amusement while listening to the other's questionnaire. "How come you go to our school, by the way? If I am taken to that weird island to attend my weird magic education, why did you decide to struggle in our math class instead? Or do you graduate earlier from magic school? Oh no, they must teach math there as well, right? Damn, I know nothing, nooothing."</p><p>"Euhm, I am not sure about the retro thing, but..." Lucas started to say, but then a sudden noise made Donghyuck startle and drop his phone. It was the squeak of his door being opened. (Every door of this apartment apparently needed oiling).</p><p>"RISE AND SHINE!"</p><p>Donghyuck couldn't remember the last time he was woken up by someone other than Taeil. And the far too enthusiastic approach of this wannabe motivational coach in the door frame served as a reminder why it shouldn't be anyone else doing so. Uncle Johnny quickly found the light switch and the sudden brightness made Donghyuck wince in annoyance. At least being blinded made him unable to notice the cheesy grin on the other man's face. The first thing Hyuck looked at after being blind for a split second was the clock anyways.</p><p>"It is 5AM... on a Sunday... are you insane?"</p><p>"Sadly not. It's Sunday and the registration office closes at noon; we have to leave soon."</p><p>The bewildered expression on Donghyuck's face and his apparent unwillingness to get up, forced Johnny to elaborate on his plans. "It'll take some time to get to Mikal. And there's a time difference, they're a few hours ahead. Now get up and pack your stuff, I'll wake the others." And with that the man disappeared, of course without closing the door again or turning off the light. Hyuck turned his head and looked outside the window. It was still dark outside, but the sky was already tinted in pale orange. Soon the sun would rise, and he hadn’t managed to get sleep all night.</p><p>With an annoyed moan, Donghyuck combed through his hair and kicked back the duvet. His smartphone, previously on the duvet, was now flying through the room in a high arc and landed on the floor. The day began as gloriously as the previous one had ended.<br/>
The worry that his smartphone might not have survived the landing made the boy climb out of bed surprisingly quick. A moment later, he stared at the cracked display and only then noticed that Lucas hadn’t hung up yet.</p><p>"Ahh, shit, sorry! I have to leave now, let's talk some other time?"</p><p>"Sure! You must introduce me to your cat. Oh and take care!"</p><p>Donghyuck ended the call with a nod that Lucas couldn't see and a short 'bye', suddenly realizing he had a mission. The mission to pack his things for a trip he didn't know the length nor destination of. At least his companion was his uncle, though Donghyuck wasn't sure if he'd be able to handle Johnny's sudden burst of energy after being attacked by his crush the night before. Maybe it was the older anticipating this mystical wizard hideout, or he was just a morning person. Either way, Donghyuck found it gross.</p><p> </p><p>The following car journey was like the beginning of a long fever dream, which Donghyuck had to endure in this awkward state in which one was not really awake but not asleep either. The fact that he did not manage to fall asleep despite complete exhaustion was mainly due to two things: on the one hand, it was the questionable driving style of Johnny, who missed out on a successful career as a racing car driver. At each sharp turn, Donghyuck's head slammed against the window, which he had leaned on to doze. The second factor, besides a possible concussion, was his uncle's song selection. Donghyuck wasn't in any position to criticize him, but before 6AM he wasn’t in the mood for Britney Spears' Best Of Album.<br/>
But the noise was also a distraction and it was impossible to think clearly. This meant that Donghyuck did not make any hypotheses as to when he would return home. Right now, the boy was only keen on surviving this day, that was already cursed judging by the cracks decorating his phone display after that epic crash landing earlier.</p><p>Suddenly, Donghyuck remembered that Taeil had given him his walkman when he left. Hyuck knew it was a walkman because Taeil had called it that. It was the first time he had seen such a Stone Age relic himself. And why Taeil decided to gift it to him was something Hyuck paid no attention to either, because damn, he was so tired he almost left the house in his socks. Maybe it was just a nice gesture, because why would he listen to music with a walkman when he was subscribed to an online streaming service?</p><p>The first rays of sunshine that had tickled Donghyuck's face disappeared with a blow and it went dark again. When Britney's voice became even quieter and the Tesla lost speed, Donghyuck assumed that they had probably reached their destination. This Mikal island was almost in an adjacent village? How convenient.</p><p>"Come on, there's still a long way to go!" Donghyuck's reaction time had plummeted so much that he hadn't noticed that Johnny had already gotten out and opened the door on his side, his sports bag hanging off his shoulder. Slowly he opened his eyes, blinked up and was pulled to his feet to be dragged along. Their location being a parking garage was something he realized after climbing up a ridiculous number of stairs. And it wasn't Johnny trying to torture him, it was simply the absence of a lift that stole his last drops of energy. And maybe sanity.</p><p>Johnny's long legs and his fast pace made it hard to keep up, but the older's grip on his wrist made it impossible to slow down. When they reached the ground level again and rushed along the road, Donghyuck was already completely out of breath and barely took in his surroundings. Nevertheless, he could say with absolute certainty that he has never been there before and probably did not want to be there. Especially at night.</p><p>"Ah, here we are..." Johnny was talking to himself and Donghyuck was more focused on not stumbling over beer bottles or his own feet. They went into a small alley which led them to a door that looked a bit out of place in the area. Before Hyuck could look at the sign and find out the name of this establishment, the heavy wooden door opened, and he could look at the interior. Inside, the light was dimmed, but Donghyuck could make out thick carpets alongside velvet chairs and shiny wooden tables. The interior was fancy enough to make Johnny look less overdressed in his grey waistcoat and matching dress pants. He handed his car keys to an equally elegant dressed woman, who greeted him with a smile and a deep bow. "Welcome back, Mr. Seo." the lady sounded genuinely delighted before leading them both through a sumptuously decorated door into a second, even larger room. This second room was even fancier than the first, and a handful of people flocked to the bar.</p><p>"Don't you think it's a bit early for alcohol?" Donghyuck managed to say with a hoarse voice; the first thing he said since leaving home. It turned out to be too quiet for Johnny to hear and because repeating it would be too exhausting, he just focused on the scene before him unfolding.</p><p>The pretty waitress had left already and Donghyuck's attention averted to the strong smell of coffee entering his nose. The aroma alone woke his senses a little and when he turned around to make out the source of that sweet, sweet caffeine, the man holding the cup finished his beverage in one big gulp. A sudden wave of envy caused Donghyuck to smolder.</p><p>"Jongin!" Johnny chanted happily and said man turned around. This Jongin was quite handsome and if it wasn't for the overly sleek pushed back hair and the panda-like dark circles under his eyes, you might as well call him gorgeous. While he and Johnny exchanged a few words the younger boy failed to catch. Instead he noticed Jongin's wardrobe malfunction. Donghyuck didn't want to judge, but seeing this guy in this fancy bar completely forgetting to button up his shirt and deciding sandals to be a great fit... It kind of made Hyuck miss his fashion pacifist back home.</p><p>"You owe me for this." The Jongin guy stood up and turned to Donghyuck, smile warm before a yawn escaped his lips and Hyuck joined him involuntarily. "Pleasure to meet you. Just heard bad things about you." Donghyuck needed a moment to comprehend and first decided to glare at Johnny, which made Jongin chuckle and pinch the younger's cheek. "Kidding. Let's go, I have another appointment soon."</p><p>Appointment? Donghyuck's forehead laid in wrinkles, and when the newly formed trio left the bar together to disappear into a back room, the boy began to seriously question what they were actually looking for here. The way Johnny pulled him along by his wrist into this shady neighborhood only to meet a random half naked dude in a fancy bar with servants bowing in front of him as if their king himself returned... Maybe Donghyuck was the victim of an abduction and Johnny just sold him to this weird maid café. Or... or this place was something completely else. Because when Jongin started to perform some stretches and finally slowly stepped behind him and Johnny, the atmosphere turned strangely intimate.</p><p>“Is this your first time?”, Jongin whispered way too close to his ear, the other’s hand on his back slowly moving upwards made Donghyuck shiver. What was going on? The anticipation turned him tongue-tied, yet a little more awake. All Jongin did was chuckling and running his fingers through Hyuck’s and Johnny’s hair before gripping tightly. “Thought so.”</p><p>All of the sudden, there was no air. It was like with one punch, someone stole all the oxygen in his lungs and Donghyuck felt like falling. He had closed his eyes shut but instead of comforting darkness he saw green sparks shoot out of nowhere, circling around him and developing into big drops of red and blue that sounded like ticking clocks. A wave of euphoria hit him like a truck, he was floating, no, flying and when the ticking started to smell like burnt paper and roses, darkness poured over him, sucking out all the excess joy and he hit the ground.</p><p>He hit the ground quite literally. The first thing Donghyuck noticed when he opened his eyes was the white marble stone under him. The second thing was the heat and dry air. Last thing was the pounding ache in the back of his head. If he had felt exhausted before, he felt knocked out now. His vision was blurry and he was staring straight up to the cloudless, azure blue sky.</p><p>“Ooops, didn’t mean to teleport you straight into oblivion, buddy. You ok?” Someone bent over him and Donghyuck blinked aggressively while slowly sitting up. The pain in his back was an indicator that he fell in a far from graceful manner, but yet he seemed to be the only one too stupid to land on his feet, judging from the soft chuckles of the two silhouettes kneeling down in front of him.</p><p>“He’ll get used to it.” Was that Johnny? Donghyuck squinted before being pulled back onto his feet. The way the man towered over him, Hyuck was sure there was no other option than the guy not giving him one single break must be his uncle.</p><p>Standing on his feet alone turned out to be a challenge. Donghyuck gripped Johnny's arm, holding onto it tightly and letting his eyes wander and inspecting his surroundings. He wasn’t in Seoul anymore. With his 144p vision he recognized palm trees swaying in the wind, colorful flowers that looked like orchids but not quite and… horses?</p><p>Johnny and Jongin had already been immersed in a conversation, but they were swallowed up by the swell of the new soundscape. Donghyuck's grip around his uncle's arm loosened and his feet carried him forward as if by themselves. Was the world around him supposed to sway? Slowly he stumbled forwards, his eyes still half-pinched. But he wanted to make sure that the sound of hooves on the cobblestone street was not a hallucination. He quickly got his answer.</p><p>A scream rang out, first a stranger then Donghyuck's own and he fell to the ground again. Whatever this place was, traffic rules were still a thing and Donghyuck had failed to look around before crossing the street. Karma quickly followed in the form of a horse-drawn carriage, which had almost run him over. Now he was laying on his back like a tortoise, staring up in panic at the long face in front of him. A white horse with a long carefully combed mane bent down, sniffing curiously at him. Hyuck felt so dizzy, everything was moving, but wait... was that on the forehead of the horse... a horn?</p><p>Hyuck didn't have a chance to take a second look at it, as his stomach contents said goodbye at this point. Without warning, he rolled to the side and vomited on the white stone street in front of the carriage.. Much to the displeasure of Johnny and Jongin, both who had failed to react in time and watched helplessly. The coachman, meanwhile, had come down and approached Donghyuck with wild insults, of which the boy did not understand a single one.</p><p>Out of nowhere the man fell silent. The reason for this was not the sudden flare-up of pity, triggered by the sight of this pitiful figure on the ground, no. It was all thanks to Johnny's death glare. The patchwork family in Seoul didn't take him seriously most of the time, but here he was a personality you shouldn't be messing with.</p><p>"Jongin, you take over. And take off your shirt. Donghyuck needs it and we're in a hurry.”</p><p> </p><p>"You should have told me you didn't sleep last night." That was Johnny speaking, one could basically hear him pouting. "You feel better now?"</p><p>Donghyuck did. A lot, actually. Johnny had given Jongin some money in exchange for his shirt because Donghyuck had managed to get vomit on his sweater, which had been far too warm for the mild weather anyways. Afterwards, he and Hyuck had sat provocatively in the carriage, which Hyuck had placed his last meal in pureed form in front of. The coachman himself had been intimidated enough to accept the customers without comment and followed Johnny's directions. Donghyuck, who had been sitting pale and bonelessly in his seat, got a candy from Johnny to “settle his stomach and rejuvenate” him. When asked, he revealed that it was a "toad drop" and the name summed up the ingredients quite well. While Donghyuck had a coughing fit in terror and tried not to swallow the delicacy, Johnny just smiled and patted the younger man on the back.</p><p>"I hate to admit it, but yes." Donghyuck’s dizziness was gone and except for the shaking carriage, he felt more or less stable. He even wasn't as tired as he was before. Still, a coffee wouldn't hurt. Considering Johnny mentioned he would prefer to walk next time, it wouldn't take them too long to arrive at their destination. Given Johnny wasn't planning a hike. But the more Donghyuck took in the view before him, the more he started to like the idea. Jongin, who had turned out to be a professionally trained teleporter, had brought them to a platform positioned at the flank of a volcano. It was one of a few areas approved for teleportation; elsewhere on Mikal it was forbidden.</p><p>Mikal. An island of the size of Gangnam located somewhere in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. Mild weather all year round, with only a few days of rain every month. If someone had asked Donghyuck before whether such a place could actually exist, he would’ve denied it. It was too good to be true, wasn’t it? But according to Johnny there were actually a few islands like that; most of them populated by humans however. Aside from this flood of facts that tour guide Johnny shared while wildly gesticulating, Mikal was in essence the hideout for wizards from all over the world. Donghyuck was a little disappointed, because he had secretly hoped that wizards would live in a parallel dimension, or in a castle somewhere in the clouds. He did not expect a place with coordinates, traffic rules and lots of bureaucracy. The latter was also the reason why Johnny was in such a hurry.<br/>
Their goal was to register Donghyuck as a wizard at the government quarter of Mikal and to give Johnny the opportunity to show off. Because of almost half a million Wizards worldwide, Mikal offered only ten thousand a permanent residence, one of which was Johnny. Although only a small part of Mikal was developed, there was no need to create more housing. On the one hand, because they wanted to protect the flora and fauna, on the other hand because the locals of Mikal feared for their exclusivity. It was considered a privilege to reside on the island and this privilege was reserved for officials and government members to which Johnny belonged. An exception were some of the older wizarding families, most of which had their own lodgings on Mikal as well as outside of it. Other wizards had no choice but to look for work in the human world or commute daily and thus to deal with different time zones on a daily basis.</p><p>When Johnny began to talk about his exact tasks as a minister and the separation of powers in Mikal, Donghyuck stopped listening. Not intentionally, after all, it was probably essential knowledge if he wanted to live here at some point, but his absorption ability had reached its limit. Everything was too overwhelming. He still tried to process yesterday's chaos and now he was bombarded with random facts of a magic state he never knew existed. All while enjoying the view over an island that looked like the holiday resort of some millionaires, if not for the unicorns and funny looking birds he caught the glimpse of a few times.<br/>
This place surely was breathtaking. It was almost insulting that Johnny had previously claimed that he was working in a random company somewhere in a big Chinese city with nothing but skyscrapers. Donghyuck once breathed deeply. The air was fresh and the sun was almost at its zenith, but it was still pleasantly warm thanks to the cool sea breeze.</p><p>Arriving in the government district felt like having multiple culture shocks at once. First, Donghyuck laid his eyes on what looked like an Arabian palace, if not for the Chinese style sweeping roof. It looked odd for a moment, but all the other buildings were similar hybrids. There were onion domes and pointed arches, pompous ornaments and stained glass windows mixed with modern looking glass surfaces and flat roofs. The architect was either insane or a genius. Either way, there was still harmony in this chaos.</p><p>While Donghyuck tried his best to keep up with Johnny, they passed all sorts of people with different hair, eye and skin color. Most of them were wearing suits, some of them white robes or colorful dresses. Donghyuck saw headscarfs, turbans and even one top hat. Considering them to be government workers, they all had a quite youthful appearance. And half of them seemed to be friends with Johnny. Some of them simply greeted and didn't pay much attention to Donghyuck, but some of them stopped and started to chit-chat. Sadly in English, so Hyuck's contribution to the conversations never exceeded <em>"Hi, my name is Donghyuck. Nice to meet you, goodbye!"</em></p><p>They met Karen, the bubbly prosecutor who had a hard time containing herself from pinching Donghyuck's cheeks. Then they met Hikaru, a grumpy looking parliament member who complained about the bad harvest of fern flowers last week. After entering one of the buildings, they encountered Elif, the private secretary of the president. She held a sleeping fox with four tails in her arms and greeted Donghyuck in broken Korean.</p><p>A look on his watch made Johnny jump in sudden realization and they proceeded to excuse themselves from the colleagues they met along the way. Well, all except for one.</p><p>"Youngho Seo!" a soft voice rang out behind the two, the next person needed something from the minister.</p><p>The registration office was at the end of the hallway, but at the pace at which they were advancing, Donghyuck was unsure if they would make it on time. And if not, the sleepless night and the early departure was in vain. Impatiently, he plucked on Johnny's sleeve and turned to the voice.</p><p>The person in front of them could not possibly be human. Of course not, they were on Mikal. But there was something about the man that made him stand out from all the wizards that Donghyuck had already seen today. It wasn't the pitch-black, shiny hair and certainly not the fine facial features. It wasn't the bright amber eyes or the flawless sun-kissed skin. Maybe, it helped a little bit, but no, the guy was just a piece of art. He caught Donghyuck staring and broke into a bright smile.</p><p>"Ten." If you didn't pay attention, you almost could have missed the spark of annoyance in Johnny's voice.</p><p>"It's so good to see you!" The other man's smile didn't fade, and in Donghyuck's imagination, a halo appeared above Ten's head. He finally understood the conversation again, what a relief. "Who is your cute companion, Youngho?"</p><p>"My name is Donghyuck!" Despite not being addressed directly, Hyuck forgot his manners and just blurted it out.</p><p>Ten giggled and it was endearing. “Nice to meet you, Donghyuck!”</p><p>“He is one of the boys Taeil is taking care of. Turned out to be a late bloomer, so I’ll help him get registered.” Johnny added, taking two steps back and avoiding eye contact with Ten.</p><p>“Oh… so he is kinda like the son of your ex-boyfriend?” Ten asked curiously, eyes on Donghyuck again. Latter frowned in confusion, having thought of Johnny as the guy who was hopelessly in love with his childhood friend for an eternity without this love ever being reciprocated. Turns out there was actually a non-platonic backstory? Donghyuck’s life really was a lie.</p><p>“What do you want?” Now Johnny’s annoyance wasn’t subtle but instead the last thing you could miss.</p><p>Meanwhile, Ten’s eye twitched. Johnny’s lack of respect was much to the other’s disdain, yet it showed only for the split of a second.</p><p>“Hey hey, don’t make it sound like all I do is use my power to make you do the things I don’t want to do…” No one else would have said it as charming as Ten. “But well, I do need your help with a thing or two… pretty please~?”</p><p>“Don’t you think I have other plans...” Johnny looked up, locking eyes with the other.</p><p>“Youngho…”</p><p>Johnny only hesitated for a moment. “Alright.”</p><p>“Yay!” Ten clapped his hands and Donghyuck was still staring. Seeing the joy in the small man’s face made him feel more cheerful himself. “Meet me at lunch in my office! And you, Donghyuck, enjoy your stay!”</p><p>Before Johnny could change his mind, Ten turned around on his heels and disappeared behind a corner. His sudden absence left both of them dumbfounded. The room felt a little colder, but both of their minds turned clearer.</p><p>“Wow, that guy sure has some aura around him.”</p><p>“That guy is a bloody good manipulator, that’s it.” Johnny was rubbing his eyes and sighed; obviously annoyed that Ten had managed to talk him into helping him again. “He always does this, using his charm to force me into doing his work. If he could just stop creeping around the ministries, but I guess that’s his job.”</p><p>“What does he do?”</p><p>“I told you about the four branches of our government?” Johnny asked and raised both eyebrows when Donghyuck slowly nodded but quickly decided against lying.</p><p>“I didn’t listen.”</p><p>“I’m heartbroken. Well, just take the three powers we have in Korea…” Donghyuck didn’t even try to hide his confusion. “What do you even do at school? The legislative, that makes the laws, the executive, that enforces these laws and the judiciary, that interprets laws and applies them in court. Now add one. That is the control branch, an investigatory agency run by fairies to make sure we wizards stay somewhat altruistic. Cuz you know, we govern over the entire magical world, not just over us wizards. And that Ten guy just happens to be the chairman of that control branch. So basically, he is the king of fairies.”</p><p>Again, Donghyuck only filtered out one essential piece of information. “Fairies? That guy… I thought fairies have wings?” Oh, if Renjun knew about that. Good thing he wasn’t supposed to ever find out.</p><p>Johnny chuckled and opened the door before them with a small hand gesture. “Silly, this is not some random Disney movie. Do your research. Or well, you’ll learn in school soon enough. Or at least I hope you will.”</p><p>When they entered the office, all eyes were immediately on them. Other than the people behind the desks, there was no one in the room, and after the two were greeted loudly, Johnny headed to the table in the middle of the room. No one here looked Asian and when Johnny started to speak in his perfect English, Donghyuck decided to just stand behind him awkwardly the entire time. It wasn't boring though. When he looked around the office, he noticed some of the employees writing by hand, some stared out of the window while the pen seemed to move by itself on the paper before them. There were no computers.</p><p>"Hyuckie, you need to sign this."</p><p>Donghyuck winced and turned his attention back to the man before him. Johnny gestured towards a kind looking woman holding up a needle. <em>"To complete the procedure, we need a small drop of blood." </em>Her voice was so calming, but Donghyuck only understood 'blood' and widened his eyes, not moving an inch.</p><p>"It won't hurt, it's just a tiny prick." Johnny clarified and grabbed the boy's arm to hold it to the woman. It was really just a little prick in the finger, which was then pressed down on the form. When Donghyuck lifted his finger, his blood on the paper turned blue and the form slipped out of the woman's hands back into a drawer in the back of the office. The registration was complete.</p><p>Now being an officially registered wizard, Donghyuck felt at ease when they left the office and his human needs kicked in. Upon hearing the growling monster in Hyuck’s stomach demanding nutrition, Johnny started to laugh. “Alright, I guess it’s lunch time.”</p><p>Johnny took the lead and Donghyuck followed him through this labyrinth of similar looking corridors. The building had a Mediterranean feel to it, which was especially obvious when both walked along the open hallways. The high ceiling was stabilized by white columns and the floor was covered in patterned tiles. Accompanied by the soft breeze tickling his skin, Donghyuck really felt like being on vacation.</p><p>Donghyuck had unconsciously slowed down and accelerated quickly as Johnny was about to disappear into a room. He followed him through the large double door, but not without first reading the letter ornaments above. Department of Transportation. Even though his English was horrible, Donghyuck was very convinced that they would not get lunch here.<br/>
As soon as he stepped in, someone pulled Donghyuck in a firm hug and another person joined the group hug just a moment later.</p><p>"Donghyuck! You've finally returned! We are so, so happy!" A small woman snuggled close to him while a taller man with glasses stepped back again, his smile wide enough for a small dimple to show.</p><p>Their faces were so disturbingly familiar and when Donghyuck was about to realize what was going on, Johnny chose to escape.</p><p>"Good to see you, Mr. and Mrs. Lee. Anyways, I have to meet Ten now. See you later, enjoy lunch!"</p><p>And with that Johnny was gone, leaving Donghyuck alone with his biological parents for a family reunion he wasn't mentally prepared for.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Meanwhile, the church goers had been led into prayer by Father Jaehyun. The small church was as crammed with his loyal sheep as it always was for Sunday Service. Jaehyun was dressed in his low cut black suit with a shiny golden floral pattern, looking like a sin. It was a shame Taeyong wasn’t there to witness it.</p><p>“And now, it is time for.. for…”, Jaehyun began, but bit on his lower lip, his gaze wandering again over the faces in front of him. It was the first time he wasn't biased towards his best friend and actually let someone else have the solo performance. He didn’t expect to regret it this fast. But it wasn’t that Jaehyun was really angry at Donghyuck for not showing up. Instead, he was worried. His entire family didn’t come, and the priest had initially decided to play along, hoping for them to be simply running late. Half an hour in and still no sight. Did something happen to them…?</p><p>The door swung open. The sound resonated and everyone turned around, only to see a black silhouette. The bright sun rays from outside blinded Jaehyun for a moment, but as the person started running toward the altar, he was quick to notice which angel had come to his rescue.</p><p>“TAEIL!” Jaehyun threw both hands up in the air and hurried towards the small man in pyjamas. They both met in the middle, falling into each other’s arms. When Father Jaehyun released Taeil from his warm embrace, he turned to the others. “Listen everybody, the lost son has returned!” He smiled at his friend and gestured towards the altar. “Now rock the stage for Jesus.”</p>
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<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Dude, you are kind of my uncle!</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hey there fresh people!</p><p>Remember how I described Donghyuck's parents as "middle-aged"? Forget that, it was a mistake. Read the chapter and find out why.<br/>I hope you are all doing well!<br/>Have fun with this chapter, byeeeee ★</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"... if everything goes as planned, this project would be a revolution! A milestone in the construction of Mikal's infrastructure!"</p><p>Donghyuck stopped listening. He stared at his plate, deep into the eyes of the fish his parents had ordered him. The fish was pretty. Hundreds of rainbow colored scales reflecting the sunlight, dead eyes dull and inexpressive. Donghyuck somehow mirrored its look. </p><p>"Donghyuck, my dear? Aren't you hungry?"</p><p>After Johnny quickly devoted himself to his duties as a henchman of the Fairy King, Donghyuck was alone with his biological parents. He hadn't seen them for nearly a decade and could barely remember the last meeting. The longer he looked at them, the more he noticed the similarities. The ones on the outside, mind you. He took after his father, since his mother was the female version of Taeyong. </p><p>They both looked young. So young, that having Johnny address them as his and Taeyongs long lost siblings would have been more convincing. Did they put something in the water here?</p><p>"Not really." Shortly after, Donghyuck's stomach started rumbling.</p><p>From the government quarter to the city it was not too far, one just had to continue down the mountain and pass Raphael's Shelter, a residential area. The reason why it took them about an hour to reach the restaurant was mainly the long waiting time for a carriage. It was lunchtime and accordingly rush hour. Crowds of wizards had gathered in the main square and behaved more or less civilized. All lined up behind signs that set different destinations: <em>Angel's Peak, Angel's Cradle, Gabriel's Haven</em> and <em>Raphael's Shelter</em>. While Donghyuck was standing with his parents, he discovered a sign a little further away with the inscription <em>God's Embrace</em>. No one turned up, the coachman leaned back and read newspapers. Nobody was up for god's hug? Jaehyun would be outraged.</p><p>They had reached the city, Angel's Cradle, in a large carriage, crammed with a handful of other passengers. During the ride Donghyuck would have preferred to listen to the conversations of the other wizards, but his mother couldn't stand even a minute of silence. And evasion of unwanted conversations with the help of his eyes being glued to his phone wasn't an option since Johnny had his things with him.</p><p>So texting Renjun and begging him to call back to fake an emergency that could give Donghyuck an excuse to leave this place altogether wasn't possible either. However, Hyuck was not sure if he wanted to go through the pain that was teleportation any time soon again anyways…</p><p> All this meant Donghyuck had no choice but to listen to his mother complaining about the traffic, about how inefficient it was to completely rely on unicorns. And she was quite eloquent in that matter, she and her husband both worked in the Department of Transport after all. His father then introduced him to his new baby, the construction plan of a tram system on Mikal. The island’s power supply was quite meagre and in the century of Mikal’s existence, there simply hasn’t been any need to change that. Magic covered a lot of tasks. There was no need for electricity for cooking and the street lights were ignited and doused by low-wage wizards.<br/>
Construction of a tram system would be beneficial in multiple ways, but required the wizard community to use the mountain, which turned out to be an inactive volcano, for power generation.</p><p>"Rainbow fish is a delicacy! You should give it a try." Mr. Lee showed off a warm smile, then proceeded to stuff his mouth with neatly folded dumplings. Donghyuck would have preferred to have one of these steaming delicacies, but he wasn't sure about the filling. People in Mikal seemingly had differently trained taste buds.</p><p>Donghyuck was able to draw this verdict simply because he did not understand half of the menu. And that certainly wasn't because of his lacking language skills, because Donghyuck was quite confident he wouldn't starve in an American fast food restaurant. <em>I want cheeseburger, fries and cola!</em> Yeah, he would nail that. Mr. and Mrs. Lee had observed their son, deep frown on his face, scanning the menu for pictures and thinking hard about whether <em>Crispy Hoop Snake</em> was just a catchy name or an accurate description of the dish. Before he could've made a disturbing guess, his parents decided to order for him. </p><p>Donghyuck gave in and tried a piece of the glittering fish. He chewed carefully and swallowed. It tasted like fish. Fruity aftertaste and softer texture but... still a fish. He felt relieved.</p><p>The three ate in silence. Donghyuck avoided looking at the pair, but he noticed from the corner of his eye his mother looking inconclusively between him and her husband between each bite. The boy used this short pause to take in his surroundings. The restaurant that his parents had chosen had been one of countless along the road. It was a rather fancy one, but not to the extent of the bar he and Johnny went to this morning. They chose to sit under the rose pergola outside on the terrace, where the flowers ranking above them provided shadow, but they could still enjoy the sea view. If it wasn't for the other guests, Donghyuck probably could have heard the sound of waves crashing against the shore. Instead, he heard only the voices and laughter of the people around him, all engaged in animated conversations. All the tables were occupied, and the waiters rushed from table to table, sometimes with trays in their hands, sometimes having them float in front of them. </p><p>"So... Taeyong is doing fine?"</p><p>Donghyuck looked up and stared perplexed at the sincere smile of his mother.</p><p>"Don't you prefer to be left clueless? If I said no, wouldn't it mess up your sacred peace of conscience?" Donghyuck straightened his back. They finally acknowledged the elephant in the room. "Given you have one to begin with, which I highly doubt."</p><p>"You sure have a sharp tongue. You should show some respect to your parents."</p><p>"It's hard to show respect when it's not returned."</p><p>"We respect you."</p><p>"You never cared about me. Or Taeyong. You just vanished, because we are apparently not useful"</p><p>Mrs. Lee cleared her throat and let her gaze glide through the restaurant. "miskins are not allowed on Mikal. When you two passed the probation period, it was heartbreaking. But we made sure you could live a good life in the human world, as miskins are not much different from humans after all, it is safe for them. Didn't Taeil and Youngho take good care of you?"</p><p>Donghyuck paused. He stared at the two people in front of him in surprise and preferred to stare quickly back at his fish.</p><p>It was true, thanks to Johnny and Taeil he and Taeyong grew up feeling safe and loved. The few memories of his parents had transformed from an open wound to a small scar, like the ones kids get from being too reckless on the playground. You remembered the pain that caused those scars by looking at them, but they did not really affect you anymore.</p><p>When Donghyuck got lost in thought, his father dropped a dumpling on his plate, his smile unaffected. "Try it! They taste a bit like Mandu, but better than the ones you get in Korea!"</p><p>"How would you know when you never leave Mikal."</p><p>A sigh followed an exchange of views from his parents. Their son's stubbornness left them baffled. Apparently, they had not expected such an attitude.</p><p>"You know, we used to live in Seoul for a while. We had to commute to Mikal every day for the longest time. But we've worked hard to get up. We climbed up the hierarchy and got good jobs in the government, that gave us the opportunity to settle down here. That's an honor, you know? It is every wizard's dream; it means safety and prosperity."</p><p>"Yes, not everyone is as lucky as Youngho Seo, being born into one of the founding families. Everything they are born with, others like us have to fight for. And your mother giving birth to two seemingly non-magical children... it felt..."</p><p>"... Shameful? Humiliating?" Donghyuck pushed his plate away. Not so much because he was full, but more to take his point across. "You thought your newly gained status and reputation would be harmed a little less if you'd completely forget about bearing those children at all?"</p><p>With a short wave of her hand, Mrs. Lee pushed the plate back in front of Donghyuck's nose. "You gain nothing from a miskin kid, you only lose. And a miskin's life will be better the less it is involved in magical affairs. Mikal would be dangerous for them, as the human world is for us wizards."</p><p>"Oh, because being hit by a car would be worse than being run over by a unicorn?"<br/>
Donghyuck spoke from experience.</p><p>"No. It's just that a lot of your ancestors were burned to death by humans, out of hate and fear of everything different to them. You either try to completely blend into the human world, deny what you truly are; or you embrace it and risk being persecuted by those lowlifes.”</p><p>So, this was where Donghyuck’s sharp tongue came from. While his mother clenched her glass before finishing her drink in one go, his father watched her warily before trying to restore peace.</p><p>“That was in the past though, not many humans are aware of our existence anymore. You can probably tell yourself, hm? But everything that happened, every innocent soul that our community has lost.… It makes most of us wizards court a strong resentment deep in our hearts.”</p><p>Peace was unwanted. </p><p>“Don’t forget those filthy vampires straying around the human world. Our government tries so hard, but there are still so many of them taking up space and spreading around the globe like the disease they are.” Mrs. Lee spat these words out like poison.</p><p>What began as a long overdue family debate ended again with Donghyuck feeling lost. How could he contradict them, when he had apparently grown up completely blind and was simply presented with facts that only Renjun could have dreamed of. At least his father looked similarly hesitant, until his face suddenly lit up and he raised his arm.</p><p>"Look who's joining us!"</p><p>Donghyuck turned around to see that tall man walking towards them, a bright smile on his face. Youngho Seo, as people preferred to address him here, turned heads and waved at some people he passed on his way. It was a parallel universe, through and through.</p><p>"Excuse me for my absence. Our beloved Mr. Leechaiyapornkul knows how to keep people busy." Johnny sat down next to Donghyuck and looked at the other faces at the table. "What did I miss?"</p><p>"A heartwarming family reunion," Donghyuck grumbled, leaving his head hanging again, even if he was happy about the presence of the other.</p><p>"Sweet! Oh, you know what else is sweet? The cake they serve here! I ordered some for dessert, my treat!”</p><p>The cake was indeed sweet. Sweet and fragrant, a few layers of chocolate cream on a biscuit base gave the dessert a very rich taste. It was a poem in the form of a dessert and somehow it reminded Donghyuck of the birthday cake he made for his parents when he was eight. The realization spoiled the experience and he couldn't finish, much to Johnny's delight. The older was quick to inhale the leftovers.</p><p>Johnny's presence had pushed Donghyuck’s long-buried grudges back into their graves and instead put new topics on the agenda where he could stop listening again. The minister next to him turned out to be as excited about the tram project as the couple in front of them and Donghyuck couldn't care less.</p><p>Lunch ended with a fiery battle for the bill, in which Johnny prevailed by throwing a thick bag of coins onto the table and waving off everyone at the table, including the waiter.</p><p>"I don't need the change, take the tip." Johnny announced and the waiter blinked, nodding and taking the sack with a small "Thank you so much, Mr. Seo."</p><p>The four of them left the restaurant together and there was an awkward moment when they had to decide for a direction to head to. If there were any more duties he had to fulfill as a son today, Donghyuck was ready to run.</p><p>That’s when a thought suddenly crossed his mind: was he supposed to move in with his biological parents?</p><p>As if Johnny had read his mind, he turned to the wizard couple.</p><p>“About the placement of Donghyuck… my offer still stands.”</p><p>Offer? Suddenly Hyuck felt like a golden cow at a cattle show. He wanted to snap at Johnny, for not telling him about this thing, but Johnny had already told him a lot today and he had not given the older even a drop of his attention. To blame him for not providing him information that he probably didn't hold back to begin with was therefore too risky.</p><p>"Ah, yes. About that...", Mrs. Lee turned to her husband with a smile and motioned him to speak up.</p><p>"You can have him." The man blurted out. It sounded like Donghyuck wasn't the golden cow but the bargain goat after all.</p><p>Mrs. Lee smiled embarrassedly and elaborated on the statement a little. "We are both more than proud to have our youngest son present himself as a wizard against all odds. But as always..." she locked eyes with Donghyuck, "... we want to choose what's best for you. And given the opportunity to be under the wings of such an influential and commonly known and beloved statesman, I am sure no one would dare to decline. You will always be our son, Donghyuck, but we are sure you will flourish more as part of the Seo family."</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>"OK, what was that?"</p><p>Donghyuck stood in Johnny's way with his arms crossed. They had parted ways with the couple a few minutes ago. The taller man had only been strolling along the streets and hummed to a Britney song they listened to this morning. When he didn't initiate an explanatory conversation, the younger just had to do it himself, as always.</p><p>"Hm? Oh I just adopted you."</p><p>Donghyuck stared at Johnny. "Euhm wow, thanks."</p><p>It turned out, while Taeil had been chosen as legal guardian for the Lee's two miskin children, his right of custody shattered along with the glass at the dinner table last night. Having magical powers meant Donghyuck's parents were in charge again. Yet not even 24 hours in and they decided to get rid of their son again, marketing their behavior as the purest form of altruism.</p><p>Donghyuck felt the old scars sting again.</p><p>"What do you think?"</p><p>Johnny's question caught him off guard.</p><p>"About them?" Donghyuck huffed. While he felt unwanted as a kid, he stopped caring as he grew older. However, this encounter just now ignited a fire inside him, a fury fueled by the selfishness and ignorance the couple had impersonated with every fibre of their being. They did not see their faults, even claiming to be very considerate. And all these years, they must have slept well.</p><p>"Can we continue acting as if they don't exist?"</p><p>The elder sighed. "I guess the cultural difference is quite big..."</p><p>"No, they are just horrible people, Johnny."</p><p>Johnny opened his mouth, visibly a little overwhelmed with the defiance of the pubescent boy. "Well then... I guess you have to get used to that kind of mindset. It's the norm for wizards to distance themselves from their own miskin kids."</p><p>"Only to have them raised by some other wizard, yeah, that makes so much sense." Donghyuck was sick of this, sick of his parents and sick of wasting more time talking about them. "By the way, do you have my phone?"</p><p>"Hm? Oh oops, I left your things in my office. Why? You don't have reception here anyways."</p><p>Donghyuck's eyes widened. This was probably the biggest shock of the entire day.</p><p>"What? After all of this you are putting me on some unneeded, unwanted and unhuman social media detox? I want to complain to my friends, listen to music and I have a series to catch up to!"</p><p>Upon seeing the pure horror on the younger's face, Johnny started laughing. It sounded uneasy at first and almost turned hysterical, signaling Donghyuck it wasn't a prank. Suddenly, the puzzle pieces came together, and he understood why Taeil gave him that old walkman. The signs were there, but Hyuck hadn't seen it coming.</p><p>Inwardly, he had already made a precautionary will, for he had not answered his best friend’s texts before leaving. Now Renjun was not only forced to get the required details about the totally-not-a-date from Sicheng or Lucas himself, he was also left by Donghyuck for God knows how long on read. And that was something that Renjun hated more than anything else. Presumably he would soon be standing on his doorstep back home in Seoul, ready to kick his ass or any ass available. And Donghyuck couldn't even warn his family at home.</p><p>Now Donghyuck just prayed that Taeil had a better taste in music than Johnny.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Still in disbelief about being isolated on an island where restaurants had magical rainbow fish but no wi-fi, Donghyuck was dragged along. Johnny was keen on going on a shopping spree before they would finally return and call it a day. </p><p>They tagged along the bustling streets of Angel’s cradle and Donghyuck first wanted to compare it to Itaewon but decided it wouldn’t do the city any justice. Similar to the government district they’ve been to before, the area was a cluster of different styles and colors, feeling odd at first but captivating, nevertheless. Mikal was mixing cultures as casual as white girls mixed their smoothie bowls, only to form the best of all worlds. </p><p>Their shopping list however turned out to be super basic. After Johnny had a mental breakdown since Donghyuck made him choose his new school backpack because he himself really didn’t care, the older had decided against deciding and just bought all five they pre-selected. (“This way you can change them up daily!”)<br/>
Buying his new school uniform was quicker. As soon as they entered the store, the shop assistant straightened her back and snapped to attention, eyes fixated on Donghyuck like he was her chosen prey. A moment later a set of clothing flew right at him and Hyuck failed to catch all of it, shoes almost hitting his head before falling to the floor. Before he was able to make out the location of the changing rooms, Johnny had already paid and offered him a bag.</p><p>“How does she know my size?”, Donghyuck whispered, glancing at the assistant who had already turned her attention back to her book. </p><p>“She just knows.”</p><p>Placing the clothing carefully inside with a snort, Donghyuck noticed the outfit was rather plain. Shiny black shoes, white socks and black dress pants. Only the white ruffle shirt seemed to be stolen from a pirate’s closet. Definitely something Taeil would be digging.</p><p>“Taeil would look good in this.”, Johnny mentioned suddenly, obviously trying to appear casual and Donghyuck just rolled his eyes. At this rate, one of these days they might roll out of his head.</p><p>Next stop was a small stand at the end of the road. A young man was sitting there on a rickety chair, eyes closed and face to the sun. Around him, dozens of birds sat on poles, chirping cheerfully or hacking at each other.  There were crows, sparrows, parrots and swallows. When Donghyuck asked what they needed a bird for, Johnny raised a finger.</p><p>"A pigeon, please. And paper."</p><p>The man turned to them and blinked. "Doves are all on the way. How about an owl?"</p><p>Johnny nodded.</p><p>With a yawn, the salesman rose and rummaged around in a cardboard box. "Envelope too? It costs extra."</p><p>"Yes, please."</p><p>Donghyuck lowered his head to watch Johnny knee down, using a small box to write on. He was writing a small note in Korean and quickly put the message in a small envelope, which he then handed over to the man.</p><p>"Recipient?" he asked, attaching the envelope to the leg of the owl.</p><p>"Chittaphon Leechaiyapornkul."</p><p>Donghyuck chuckled. "Bless you."</p><p>"That's Ten's full name. He happens to be my neighbour, so I'll ask him to return the favor and get your stuff out of my office before he returns home."</p><p>"Sounds reasonable, I guess.", mumbled Hyuck as he understood that his uncle had just not bought an owl, but only her service. Should he mention how sending a text message would be so much quicker? Damn, he still wasn't over being in a big radio hole.</p><p>"Got it?" The man looked at the little owl to make sure she had heard the name. She stared into her owner's eyes without any pressure.</p><p>"Okay, make it quick, you hear me?" Then the man raised his arm and let the messenger fly.</p><p>"There she goes..." Johnny looked after the bird and sighed. "Doesn't she remind you of Taeil?"</p><p>Donghyuck denied.</p><p>"Taeil and I always chose owls to send each other messages. Most people prefer pigeons or falcons, but owls were our thing." A smile had formed on Johnny's lips while he paid the man and they continued their spree.</p><p>Final destination was a red brick building. According to Johnny it wasn't the biggest bookstore in Mikal, but the one longest running. Of course, he knew the owner, since apparently everyone knew him. Many people in the street nodded to him, waved or engaged the man in a brief conversation.</p><p>When they entered the small shop and Johnny looked around, he discovered another customer who had made himself comfortable in an armchair and was immersed in a narrow book. Johnny's face brightened and he approached the young man, speaking Chinese. <em>"Hey Hendery, have you seen Seulgi today?"</em></p><p>
  <em>"I heard she called in sick and is taking a few days off. Today, only the intern is there."</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"Ah, how sad."</em>
</p><p><em>"What's the matter?"</em> The so-called Hendery put his book aside.</p><p><em>"I only wanted to introduce her to my new charge Donghyuck. It's his first day in Mikal."</em> Johnny stepped aside to reveal Donghyuck, who had tried to hide behind the taller one. After being called out for being bad at English, he didn't need to be reminded of his incompetence in the Chinese language as well.</p><p>"Oh, hi Donghyuck! Welcome to Mikal. I'm Hendery, nice to meet you!" Addressing him in Korean, the young man got up and reached out to Hyuck's hand. He looked up slowly and shook it, already captivated by the other's amber coloured eyes and the bright smile. Similar to Ten, yet not as strong, Hendery had an aura around him that made you feel at ease instantly. The boy in front of him was like a sunrise on a summer's day, the course of which one wanted to admire completely before the sun would envelop the world in bright light with full force. Warmth enveloped one and scared away the cold of the night, which still stuck in your bones. It was hard to look away.</p><p>Johnny nudged him.</p><p>Donghyuck quickly blinked and turned his gaze away. He felt rude for shamelessly staring at so many people in the span of not even 24 hours. Quickly he returned the smile. "Nice to meet you too. And thank you."</p><p>"Can you show us the schoolbooks you're using? Donghyuck and you are the same age, so you'll probably end up in the same class." Johnny asked, hand resting on Hyuck's shoulder.</p><p>"What really? Nice! I'm your first friend then!"</p><p>Hendery smiled and led them both to the desired department in the back of the store, which took exactly twenty seconds. The store was rather small, but every inch of the wall was covered with bookshelves that reached high up to the ceiling. Occasionally, sofas, armchairs and small tables stood around, inviting the customer's to sit down and take a small break. Donghyuck was sure this was a place Mark would've loved to go, spending hours browsing through the sortiment and sitting down on one of the armchairs, scrolling through a few pages.</p><p>“We use those!” </p><p>Hendery announced it cheerfully and gradually pulled various books off the shelves and handed them to Donghyuck. Gradually, a stack had formed, which Hyuck could still carry, but now blocked his view. He was supposed to learn all this? He noticed not one book being in Korean and was about to ask if the store sold tissues as well.</p><p>"If you need any help then...", Hendery's gaze slipped from Donghyuck's face to the clock on the wall behind them. "Oh, holy guacamole! Yangyang is waiting for me, bye! See you in school Donghyuck!" And then he was gone, leaving the two alone with a book stack full of new responsibilities Hyuck didn't ask for. </p><p>Thankfully Johnny took the books from him and both slowly strolled back towards the cash register.</p><p>"Oh look!" Johnny froze, a broad smile forming on his lips. "That's the book I gave Taeil for his birthday one time!"</p><p>Donghyuck stepped closer to reading the title of the book the other picked up. It read <em>75 Herbs for Your Garden</em>. There was a hand drawn branch of sage on the cover. Donghyuck scrunched his nose.</p><p>"Very romantic, Johnny."</p><p>Johnny simply chuckled. "Taeil used to come here often. I bet he'd love to come here again."</p><p>"Well, why didn't you just let him join us then?"</p><p>Johnny sighed and put the book back to the side. He lifted the stack of school books back up and turned around to face the other. "He... he still has a job, right?"</p><p>"And I have class tomorrow, your argument is invalid. Don't you think you should stop lying at some point?" Hyuck didn't mean to sound so bitter. But he was still tired and the encounter with his parents truly upset his mood.</p><p>In addition, there was another very spicy detail on his tongue since the meeting with Ten. And growing up with Taeil, he was used to speaking without filter, thus preferring to bluntly confront his new guardian in public.</p><p>"So, you never told me Taeil actually let you smash."</p><p><em>Thump</em>. Donghyuck turned around to see Johnny staring at the bunch of books he just dropped on the floor. Clearing his throat, he bent down and quickly collected everything again.</p><p>"Euhm yeah. Taeil and I... We were a thing. I've been in love with him for more than a century now and we dated for maybe fifty years? Ugh, time flies."</p><p>“Fif..teen?” Donghyuck scratched his ear, suspecting them to malfunction.</p><p>“Fifty. But we decided to take a break back in the eighties.”</p><p>Donghyuck chose to not say anything and just stared at Johnny. Johnny blinked at him inquiringly, then it hit him.</p><p>“Ah! Didn’t I mention wizards have a longer lifespan than humans? Oopsie. Yeah, so Taeil and I are actually 120-year olds in the prime of our lives! We are still pretty hot, huh? Asian don’t raisin.”</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>During the ride back home Johnny received the silent treatment. They sat side by side in a small carriage, passing multiple fancy looking buildings as they reached Gabriel’s Haven. Donghyuck’s head felt like it was about to explode. How was he supposed to accept his life suddenly being extended by a few hundred years? Johnny had tried to calm him down by mentioning the imminent end of the world caused by human destruction to cut his life span short anyways. It didn’t help much.</p><p>“I have a surprise back home for you.” Johnny exclaimed, sounding cheerful.</p><p>“Back home? We just left home this morning.” Donghyuck mumbled, breaking his silence. He really wasn’t in the mood for any more surprises. He just wanted to be wrapped in blankets and watch trashy movies with Taeil and Taeyong in their small apartment.</p><p>Johnny stayed silent and it was fine by Donghyuck. </p><p>The carriage stopped in front of one of the countless villas. Unlike Raphael's Shelter where Donghyucks parents lived, Gabriel's Haven was home to the founding families of Mikal, home of old money. Their influence and wealth were accordingly reflected in their homes. Each property had its own style, but all had this old charm and looked like they had been standing there for at least a century.</p><p>But the villa in front of them was the complete counterpart. Simplistic in style and rejecting any form of ornaments, the construction in front of them was just a big futuristic square. Despite the warm light flowing through some of the glass walls, it looked not only out of place, but also faceless and sterile. Johnny's Tesla would have been a good fit.</p><p>"Remind me to teach you the key spell." Johnny said after paying the coachman. Donghyuck just followed him through the front yard, eyeing the accurately cut bushes and neatly cut grass. As they reached the door, Johnny placed a hand on the doorknob, mumbling an unspeakable word. The door jumped open.</p><p>"We're back!" They entered and the older's voice echoed through the house. Hyuck frowned. Who was he talking to? Knowing Johnny wasn't on good terms with Gilbert, he didn't expect him to have his own pets.</p><p>From the second floor came an answer.</p><p>"Johnny, I messed up frying the eggs again, so I thought we could eat watermelon for dinner."</p><p>Donghyuck froze. He recognized the voice immediately. It was so familiar to him that he would recognize it in any situation. But he didn't want to believe it.</p><p>"Wait, <em>we</em>? Is Ten coming over or..." Footsteps. Someone slowly came down the stairs. "Donghyuck!?"</p><p>There he stood, in all his glory. Mark Lee, with messy hair, oversized tank top, shorts and crocs. His eyes turned wide and he stopped halfway on the stairs when he noticed Donghyuck in the hallway, mouth shaped into an "o" form.</p><p>In that moment Mark let the watermelon slip out of his hands and stared after it in horror. He tried to grab it several times, but he couldn’t get a proper grip on it every time and it finally landed on the ground. Donghyuck didn't notice any of that. He switched off completely, eyes glued to his long-term crush who was staring heartbrokenly at the chunky red mess spread over the stairs to the feet of the returnees. Donghyuck couldn't care less. In his eyes, Mark was the bigger snack anyways. </p><p>Mark’s lips kept moving, forming words of apology while stressing out about using magic to piece his beloved watermelon back together. It barely worked out and Donghyuck didn’t listen anyways, only noticing how kissable Mark’s lips looked while he begged Johnny for assistance.</p><p>A circular hand motion of Johnny was enough to put the fruit back together and he let it float in front of the lovestruck boy’s field of sight to bring him back to reality, finally letting it drop in Hyuck’s hands. He caught it just barely.</p><p>“Oh my God!” </p><p>Mark stumbled down the last steps and stopped inches in front of Donghyuck.</p><p>"Dude, what are you doing here? You are a wizard too? No way!"<br/>
Obviously, there was no explanation needed for Mark. Donghyuck opened his mouth to give an answer nevertheless but fell silent as he was dragged into a hug. Since the watermelon in his arms blocked the way, Mark wrapped his arms around the other from the side.</p><p>"I am so happy!"</p><p>Mark's expression of pure happiness was enough to make Donghyuck swoon. He wanted to return the hug and looked at Johnny, then squinted at the fruit and hoped his uncle got the hint.</p><p>Johnny did and ignored it with a grin.</p><p>"I'm pretty hungry, so I guess I'm in charge of dinner now. Why don't you kids go outside for a bit? Show Hyuckie around, Mark."</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>The two childhood friends strolled around for a while, Mark hugging the watermelon, while they caught up on whatever was going on in their lives since their last encounter a few months ago. Of course, Donghyuck was the one with the most questions, still feeling betrayed by Johnny for not being warned beforehand. So, the boy he had a crush on for ages didn’t disappear for further education somewhere abroad, but was a wizarding student at a magic school that wasn’t even a boarding school. Instead of returning home regularly, Mark just preferred to chill his life in Johnny’s swank villa on Mikal.</p><p>Donghyuck’s heart hurt a little, assuming the other didn’t count seeing him as a strong reason to return home more often.</p><p>Johnny casually adopting Donghyuck earlier the day wasn’t a singular event either. With Mark being born to a miskin mother and a human father, Johnny couldn't contain his fatherly instincts and so the self-proclaimed mother Teresa had taken the boy under his wing five years ago.</p><p>The two took a seat on the catwalk, which jutted out into the pond in the garden. Attentively, Donghyuck watched Mark put down the watermelon and expected some amazing magic trick that would immediately divide the fruit into evenly cut pieces. Instead, Mark pulled out a pocket knife.</p><p>"How do you like it so far? Angel's Cradle is so much fun, let's go there together next time!" Donghyuck nodded aggressively while Mark continued. "I hope you went to Seulgi's bookstore?"</p><p>"Oh yes, I liked it! It would've been nice if not every other stone on the ground would remind Johnny of Taeil though. Ugh gross."</p><p>Donghyuck let his feet dangle and only briefly managed to draw his attention to the pond in front of them. Mark's face was just more interesting.</p><p>Mark seems to have a similar problem. He locked eyes with Donghyuck and laughed softly, handed him a piece of watermelon. "Tell me about it! In the five years I lived here so far, Johnny mentioned him every single day. He even completely tore down the house here and rebuilt it. It previously was an old building in which his parents had lived. Johnny hopes that Taeil will return some day and hearing Taeil mention how he'd dislike living in that old house, Johnny just fundamentally overhauled it a few years ago. That's some dedication he got there."</p><p>"If they took a break a few decades ago, he should just let go, dammit."</p><p>"It's quite messy, yeah. Especially if you consider that they're brothers, right?"</p><p>Donghyuck suddenly started choking on his watermelon, Mark's eyes turned wide, immediately he patted the younger man's back until he caught himself. Mark didn't remove his hand though.</p><p>“Brothers?” Donghyuck couldn’t believe it. Does that mean him rooting for Johnny his entire life was him supporting incest? Calling Johnny his uncle was supposed to be a joke within the family. Mark elaborated quickly.</p><p>“Well, Taeil’s adopted. But they are family. Like we two are! Cuz well, Mom and Taeil...”</p><p>“Wait, that’s a thing?” </p><p>“Yeah, you didn’t know?”</p><p>“No? But…. What about Henry? Is your dad okay with us hanging out at your place all the time?”</p><p>“Yeah of course, why wouldn't he be?”</p><p>Donghyuck felt like having one ice bucket after the other being poured over him. So apparently, his theory about Taeil rejecting Johnny because of his secret preference for older women, turned out to be....</p><p>“In-laws are usually really difficult but Taeil and Johnny have been the most chill fathers-in-law dad could’ve gotten.” </p><p>… completely false. Donghyuck felt like his life was just updated from a Harry Potter rip-off to some messed up reality show. And the drama within those was only fun to gloat over when you’re not being part of it yourself.</p><p>Mark laughed warmly, putting his arm around the younger man's shoulder. Donghyuck’s heartbeat sped up immediately. “Crazy, huh? And now that you grew up with Taeil as your guardian just like my mom did… that’s like you are mom’s brother! Dude, you are kind of my uncle!”</p><p>Donghyuck wanted to cry. Cry and then drown in a puddle of salty tears. In all those years he spent daydreaming about the one and only Mark Lee, the perfect, unreachable golden boy, he had finally gotten to the point where he accepted being stuck in the friendzone forever. Never had he ever imagined being suddenly put into the “uncle-zone”. Fate truly was ridiculing him.</p><p>Despite longing for Mark’s skinship a lot, Hyuck pushed the older a little, the hug suddenly feeling weird. His self-proclaimed nephew only grinned and raised an eyebrow. </p><p>“What’s wrong, uncle?” Mark teased and Donghyuck made a face.</p><p>“If you really want to be my nephew, you should start showing some respect!”</p><p>With these words Donghyuck pushed Mark off the catwalk. There was a loud splash and a content hum. When Mark reappeared, a mixture of shock and amusement on his face, Donghyuck offered him his hand. Mark grabbed it, but Donghyuck pulled it back and pushed the other back under water. </p><p>Karma followed quickly, because while Hyuck was waiting for the other to appear, Mark appeared behind him thanks to his mediocre teleportation skills. Before Donghyuck could grasp the situation, he swallowed water.</p><p>Unlike Donghyuck himself, however, Mark helped him back on the catwalk. The other's sour face made Mark giggle.</p><p>“You’re playing dirty!”</p><p>“I’m not, you just don’t know the rules yet.”</p><p>Donghyuck pouted. “Do you learn that in school?”</p><p>“Yup, we started this year. But it’s super difficult, man.” </p><p>Mark pushed his dripping wet hair out of his face and for some reason the scene played in slow motion in Donghyuck's head.</p><p>“What’s the furthest you can go?” </p><p>Mark tapped his chin, thinking. “Let’s find out?”</p><p>Without further ado, Mark placed a hand on Donghyuck’s neck, causing the other to shiver. </p><p>Then, Hyuck’s vision turned blue, he saw sparkles.</p><p>Next thing he was able to process was Ten’s bright smile in front of him before he fell down to the fairy’s feet.</p><p>“Hello Donghyuck!” Ten’s voice sounded as melodic as wind chimes in a soft summer breeze.</p><p>Even though he was completely soaked, a warm feeling of comfort rushed through Donghyuck’s body, balancing out the side effects of Mark’s crappy teleportation demonstration. He felt two pairs of hands pulling him back to his feet.</p><p>“We came over to bring you your stuff! And invite you for dinner! But Youngho rejected us, what a pity.”</p><p>Donghyuck blinked a little to sharpen his gaze and caught Ten's eye. It was calming.</p><p>To answer Donghyuck's previous question, Mark didn't get them very far. They didn't end up in their neighbour's house. Instead, the two boys popped up in Johnny's kitchen, which was crammed with guests.</p><p>When the grip suddenly disappeared from his arms, Donghyuck looked from side to side. To his right was Hendery, the boy from the bookstore. The guy on his left was a new face, his smile was as bright as the other's and his amber eyes forced Donghyuck to let his gaze linger a bit longer than necessary.</p><p>Donghyuck thanked him with a little bow and stepped back, sensing three of those strong auras was a bit overwhelming. He turned to the stranger.</p><p>"Hello, I am Donghyuck."</p><p>"I know! My name's Yangyang!" The boy with the chocolate brown hair picked up the heavy bag filled with Donghyuck's stuff. When he wanted to give it to the owner, Mark was quick to take it instead.</p><p>“Sorry, still gotta practice, I guess. You ok?” Mark was genuinely concerned, free hand resting on Donghyuck’s back. The addressed boy nodded quickly before the fairy trio caught his attention again.</p><p>"Make sure to come over next week! It's so rare to welcome a new neighbour, we'll throw a party for you! With good food, which you'll crave after living with Johnny for two days!" Ten clapped his hands and winked conspicuously at Donghyuck.</p><p>"Yeah and then we'll introduce you to our cats! They don’t like me, but maybe they’ll like you!" Yangyang nodded with a wide grin.</p><p>"Mark and l will show you around school!" Hendery's eyebrows wiggled, he threw a smile at Mark.</p><p>"Anyway, we're off." Ten eyed Johnny standing at the stove, who was either purposefully ignoring the guests or being overly focused on dinner preparation.</p><p>"Enjoy disappointing mealtime! Bye Donghyuck, bye Mark, bye Youngho."</p><p>And with that, they were gone. The three people left took a deep breath.</p><p>“Disappointing dinner will be ready soon.” Johnny looked up and ground his teeth. Then he turned to the two boys, annoyance written all over his face. The neighbour, or Ten, to be precise, sure gave him a hard time. The dynamics reminded Donghyuck of the mess he had back home in Seoul. He didn't mind and it was the first thing that seemed more or less familiar and comfortable on Mikal.</p><p>“Oh wow, what happened to you?” Johnny looked scandalized at the puddle that was forming around the boys. Unlike the guests earlier, he actually pointed out the two boys still being soaking wet.</p><p>“It was hot, so we decided to cool down in the pond.” Donghyuck said dryly.</p><p>Johnny turned to Mark, even more confused. With a quick wave of his hand, the water disappeared from their bodies and Donghyuck promptly heard a splash in the sink. The water was gone but the smell was not.</p><p>“Why didn’t you use our indoor pool next to the sitting room? Or the one outside? And why didn’t you just take off your clothes? I used to do that with Taeil.”</p><p>Now it was Donghyuck mirroring the scandalized look.</p><p>"Oh my God. Okaaaay, let's wait in the dining room and set the table!"</p><p>Mark grabbed Donghyuck's hand and dragged him along. In the dining room, Mark motioned to one of the chairs and put Donghyuck's bag down. "Sit down, I'll get the plates and so on."</p><p>Donghyuck obeyed with a small "Thanks" and took a seat at the table, but not before he had fished his phone out of his bag. Sadly, there really was no reception. But there were a few unread texts he got before Jongin teleported them out of reach from any mobile phone tower.</p><p> </p><p>[ShuaiShuai] hey I hope you have a great day today!<br/>
[ShuaiShuai] :)<br/>
[ShuaiShuai] you can do it! take care!<br/>
[ShuaiShuai] if someones mean to you I’ll come punch them<br/>
[ShuaiShuai] :D<br/>
[ShuaiShuai] please tell me when you’re back!<br/>
[ShuaiShuai] I am waitinggg<br/>
[ShuaiShuai] ♥</p><p>Reading Lucas’ messages, which he admitted were quite cute, he felt his cheeks warm up a little. Mark was quick to notice.</p><p>“Huh, there’s no reception. Who are you texting?”</p><p>Donghyuck looked up, feeling called out. When he locked eyes with Mark across the table, he couldn’t help but smile. He was still the attentive, caring boy he fell for years ago.</p><p>“No one.”</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. The End of the World</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hi humans out there!</p><p>It's been two months, oooops. A lot of things happened, like uni stuff and me getting sunburned on vacation. But I guess procrastinating is the main factor. I started reading novels again to step up my writing game, which kinda lacks if you asked me :D</p><p>But it takes practice to improve, right?  So here you go, a random Johnny flashback Haechan accidentally happened to asked for. eNjOy~!<br/>(also, this flashback was cut short, it will continue the next chapter. Sorry if you're like Haechan and don't really care bout the Johnil details HAHAHAHA)</p><p>stay fresh!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>'Disappointing dinner' wasn't disappointing to the extent Donghyuck expected it to be. But he had never enjoyed Johnny's mediocre cooking skills before. Even if he would have asked, Taeyong would not have let him use his stove. He had already trouble keeping Yuta in check and two troublemakers in the kitchen would surely have overstretched Taeyong's thread of patience.</p><p>But now Johnny, Mark and Donghyuck were indulging in their bowls of instant ramen, pimped with some burnt vegetables and some meat that neither tasted like beef, pork nor chicken and Donghyuck was too afraid to inquire further. He was still not over the fact that his uncle, wait, now father?, had two pools in his mansion. Oh and he had a damn mansion, to begin with. And he had Mark living inside of it. And three fairy neighbors living next door. Ah, Donghyuck almost forgot he himself was a wizard.</p><p>"Johnny?" Donghyuck asked, making the one called out look up.</p><p>"Yes? Do you need more salt?"</p><p>Donghyuck shook his head quickly, already feeling his blood pressure rise by the thought of adding more sodium into this oversalted bowl of underwhelming-ness.</p><p>"No, it's fine. I wanted to ask you... what was your first day in Mikal like?"</p><p>Johnny raised both eyebrows in surprise before breaking into his signature smile.</p><p>“I don’t remember.”</p><p>“You don’t? How old have you been?”</p><p>Mark chuckled after finishing his ramen with a big slurp. “Hyuckie, Johnny was born and raised here.”</p><p>“Oh.”</p><p>Donghyuck found it odd to imagine Johnny actually being a foreigner in Korea. He had that international vibe to him though, so coming from an island that was the United Nations’ Magic Edition actually seemed fitting.</p><p>“Yes, I’m the first generation of Mikal-born Wizards. My parents were both born in Korea and helped to build Mikal.”</p><p>Donghyuck nodded slowly. “What about Taeil?”</p><p>The moment he asked, he regretted it immediately. Even though Donghyuck was genuinely curious, seeing the apparently 120-year old man’s eyes glow up like a disco ball in a 70’s nightclub, he knew he made a mistake.</p><p>“Here we go again…”, Mark whispered and looked rather amused, eyes set on Johnny who leaned back in his chair and taking a deep breath.</p><p>“I’m glad you asked. So it was…”<br/>
</p><p> </p><p>It was the end of the world.</p><p>At least Johnny thought it was. Johnny, who was called only by his birth name Youngho a century ago, had never experienced a rainstorm. In the six years of his young life on Mikal, he had never experienced more than a small shower of rain, never more than a few hours and never with significant intensity. The island spoiled its habitants with consistently beautiful weather, the winters were mild, the summers not burning hot. There never had been any snow. And Youngho, who sat outside in the sun and donned a sweater in the most tender breeze, had no interest in catching up on the experience. And if it happened to be one of the very few rainy days of the year, one single splatter of rain was enough to make the boy shriek and flee into the house at the speed of light.</p><p>Just like today, when Youngho was playing by himself outside in the big garden. He was sitting on the grass, concentrating on the small soldier toy in his hands. All day the weather had been lovely, clear blue sky leaving space for the sun to shine with full force. But the postcard-like scene didn’t last long. Clouds began to gather and formed dark pillows that blotted out the sun. Only when small droplets of moisture began to drip from the leaves of the tree the boy had sat down under, he noticed the rain.</p><p>Without thinking any further, Youngho jumped up and lurked under the large tree, expecting it to be a lone rain cloud that lost its way. But it wasn't, instead a grey wall of clouds was covering the sky, the accompanying rainfall intensifying with each moment. Youngho stepped out, running through the garden and reaching the house before the rain's pitter-patter could turn into angry drumming.</p><p>Hours later it was still pouring and Youngho was already expecting to see Noah's Ark drift by. Of course it really wasn't the biblical deluge this kid was making it to be, yet instead of focusing on the book in front of him, Youngho spent more time staring outside with a pout, wishing for the curtain of rain to finally pass over. But then dusk came and he preferred to pull the curtains, even if it didn't help to hide the tapping on the window.</p><p>Youngho moved from the window back to the desk but paused in his movement. He heard voices down the hallway; his parents had returned. Although it was a weekend and the two did not have to work, they had left at noon for an "interesting offer". For this they had to leave Mikal and Youngho had only reluctantly let the two go.</p><p>Out in the "human world," they expected a myriad of dangers, of which Youngho had heard a lot in stories of the house maid. Unlike himself, she was not born in Mikal and was taken in as a small child by the Seos. For Wizard families, it was nothing unusual to take children with special skills out of their Miskin families and raise them. But what distinguished the Seos from others was the fact that they could choose their charges. In Mikal, where the deep-rooted aristocracy was hidden under the thin framework of a democracy, there were a few families who exerted particular influence on politics. When their contacts in the human world tracked down Wizard children from unsuspecting Miskin parents, they had priority in the selection. If the kid they chose to take care of turned out to not live up to their guardian’s expectations, they were passed on to other, lower-ranking families. So, it would be wrong to assume the founding families simply did this out of good will and empathy. It was just an opportunity to retain promising talents. Because power in the wizarding world was not only a question of origin, but above all one of the magical abilities. The stronger the magic of a wizard, the more respect he deserved, and it was easier for them to fill a high post on Mikal. Owning the strongest magical powers thanks to strategic marriage and alliances, the founding families treated the Miskin-born wizards mainly as a tool to secure their future power.</p><p>That's why their maid Amy felt lucky to still be able to stay with the Seos. She was the first child the couple had taken in and had spent her entire childhood and youth with the Seos. When it became clear that there was less potential in her than hoped, she was given the choice to go or take care of the house.</p><p>A few years later the Miskin-born Jongin was taken into the family. He was homeschooled by Mr. Seo and hopes for him were high. He did not only turn out to be a gifted, hard-working student, but also an attentive older brother for Youngho who was born soon after Jongins arrival and was the Seos’ first own child.</p><p>Since Jongin, they hadn't taken anyone in. They focused on him and Youngho and continued to be eagerly keeping a certain distance between the adopted children and their biological son. That's why Amy and Jongin shared a small room and were expected to do chores, while Youngho had a big room for himself and was expected to play all day.</p><p>Following the voices of his parents, Youngho left his room to take a look at the new kid. He walked down the stairs just a few steps and leaned forward, trying to take a peek and eavesdrop at the same time.</p><p>"Amy, could you bathe him?"</p><p>In the hallway stood an elegantly dressed couple, Younghos parents. While the maid hurriedly stepped out of the kitchen to take off his mother's long coat, his father stood still and looked at the third returnee. It was a boy, small in stature and black hair all over the place. His head was lowered, and he clutched his robe, which had probably been white at some point and was now a dirty grey. Next to the couple, whose outer appearance screamed money with every pore, the kid looked completely out of place, as if he was a ghost from the past.</p><p>Mr. Seo pushed the boy, who only stared more intensely at the ground. He seemed so small, so lost, that Youngho's heart ached a little. He always assumed everyone coming to this house would be joyous and thankful, like Amy and Jongin told him about their arrival at the Seo residence. The boy in the hallway, however, looked frightened.</p><p>"Of course, Mrs. Seo." The maid nodded quickly, ready to take over the newcomer, but someone else was faster.</p><p> </p><p>"I'll give you some fresh clothes to put on!" Youngho, eyes fixed on the small boy ever since he stumbled down the staircase, grabbed his hand and dragged him back up the stairs with him. Amy raised both eyebrows, not sure how to proceed. Alarmed, she looked at Mrs. Seo, who rolled her eyes and with a wave of her hand motioned for Amy to go upstairs. "Just prepare the bath. You can continue preparing dinner afterwards."</p><p>The woman obeyed with a "Very well, Mrs. Seo." and stripped off her apron before she also walked up the stairs. Jongin, now holding said apron, looked after her with a certain desperation, knowing that dinner preparation just got into the critical state, meaning that the rainbow fish fillet was now his responsibility. He might have been ten years old and was able to not let the flame go out, but he wasn't usually alone in the kitchen and controlling fire was absolutely not his strength. He was really into teleporting these days but using this power to escape the situation was definitely something that would result in house arrest at best and in disinheritance the worst case.</p><p>While Jongin resigned to try his best at not ruining the family dinner, the maid was standing in the bathroom, stretching her hand out above the bathtub to let water flow in.</p><p>Somewhere else in the house, in Youngho's room to be exact, the two boys stood in front of a big wooden closet. Youngho let go of the boy's hand and set out in search of an acceptable outfit for the newcomer, to whom he repeatedly looked fleetingly.</p><p>"Welcome to my house, by the way!" With a grin, he handed the younger boy a pair of lightweight trousers fitted with drawstring waistbands and a loose shirt. "Those are pyjamas! Everyone in Mikal wears them right now!"</p><p>This made the tiny boy finally look up. Youngho stared at his pale face, noticing dark circles under his eyes and cracked lips. The fragile boy looked skeptically at the azure fabric in his hands and rubbed its soft texture.</p><p>Given the diversity and internationality of the Wizard community, Mikal was quick to adopt trends and advances, but was just as wonderfully special in its implementation. While technological progress liked to be ignored altogether, wizards still loved human fashion. Especially the founding families, of which most never left Mikal. Not being in direct touch with humans meant them having the freedom of interpretation. This resulted in Youngho's father starting to wear cherry-red pyjamas during cabinet sessions, since all other members of the parliament did the same. The commuter wizards traveling to Mikal from the human world everyday for work could correct them, but since they were responsible for human customs finding their way to Mikal, they preferred to indulge in the creativity of the wizards and profit from it by selling the goods. And so the Indian sleeping attire popularized in Europe became a Mikal general-purpose outfit for every occasion, be it a sleepover or the visit of the president.</p><p>"My name's Youngho by the way! What's yours?"</p><p>There was no answer, instead the one asked continued staring at the two-piece in his hands.</p><p>"It's yours, I have dozens. Take it as a welcome gift." Upon his mother hearing pyjamas being en vogue in Europe she just bought a small collection after not being able to decide and settle for one pair. That Youngho already had a full wardrobe, half of which he had never worn before, wasn't much of a concern to her.</p><p>Suddenly the small boy bowed and hugged the pyjama tightly. Youngho blinked rapidly and stretched out one hand to hesitantly run his fingers through the other's hair. It was soft, so much softer than the rags he wore looked.<br/>
Youngho was in awe and decided to shower the other in gifts if he'd make him smile in return.</p><p>"Now go take a bath!" Youngho pushed the newcomer out of his room into the bathroom and supplied him with towels before standing awkwardly on the doorstep. When none of them moved Youngho understood it was his turn to leave and he averted his gaze, left the bathroom and closed the door behind him.</p><p> </p><p>"Thank you." Youngho said to break the silence, even though he contemplated whether or not the new boy actually owned functioning vocal cords.</p><p>Back in Youngho's room, they sat on an elaborately embroidered persian rug with crossed legs, silently enjoying their meal. Previously Youngho had, refusing any adult help, balanced a tray with their dinner up the stairs. After a few reverbations and motivational words, he had made the dish palatable to the new boy, who had first been sceptical to try it and then stared at the fork as if it was a murder weapon. But now he stuffed the shimmering rainbow fish into his mouth bit by bit and sighed in between, eyes closing from time to time. Once again, Youngho couldn't help but stare.</p><p>Not even when the boy looked up, the wrinkle between his eyebrows deep and questioning.</p><p>"For eating, I mean. It's important." Youngho explained, "Mum always says that."</p><p>The foreign boy nodded quickly and averted his attention back to the fish. Youngho chuckled, doing the same. Down in the kitchen his mother had almost dropped the name of the boy, but Youngho had stopped her. It was silly but he wanted to find out for himself, to make him trust Youngho enough to introduce himself. At least his father assured him that the new one could actually speak and that his native tongue was Korean.</p><p>Youngho lost his patience and jumped up as if bitten by a tarantula. He felt the sudden need to entertain his guest, after all he had the mission to make him smile. In addition, the words of his mother echoed in his head, reminding him to "make the boy talk". It had been a struggle to convince them to refrain from the family rules and to not force the new one to join everyone at the table, all eyes glued to him, curious questions on their tongues with the will to press hard for answers. Mrs. Seo let her son have his way, she loved him to pieces and Youngho started to realize what power he held.</p><p>"Have you ever played chess?" Youngho asked, pointing to a checkered board made out of wood in the corner of his room. The quiet boy just shook his head, before even looking at it properly.</p><p>"I started learning it recently! It's super hard, I will teach you when I'm a pro!" Youngho promised, looking smug. "Which will be pretty soon."</p><p>There was nothing but those big innocent eyes staring back at him. There was darkness buried deep inside them and it made Youngho restless and uneasy. For someone like him, who grew up with a silver spoon in his mouth, it was hard to understand what calamity existed in the world. He knew the outside world was dangerous and many people less fortunate than him suffered from poverty, famine or constant fear of what lurked in the shadows. It was just that Youngho lacked empathy, not yet understanding the complexity of the universe he happened to live in.</p><p>Inconclusively, Youngho let his gaze wander. High walls made the room feel spacious and if it wasn't for the gloomy weather outside, sunshine would flood the inside. One of the walls was glued with cards, postcards to be more precise. Youngho received them from his parents whenever they'd been abroad. Postcards became more common these few decades and whenever possible, they bought a bunch and neatly wrote small messages for their son on the backside. They even had a stamp stuck on it, but they never sent the cards. The reason for that was humans not being familiar with the wizard island called Mikal. Thus, Youngho got his souvenirs handed out in person when his parents returned from their trips. Alongside the cards, his parents also loved bringing toys. Youngho's room was stuffed with enough items to entertain an entire kindergarten. There were tin soldiers, tons of board games, colorful card sets, a toy unicorn to ride on and gyroscopes of different sizes. And building blocks with which Youngho had played a lot in the past and now used them for other purposes. </p><p>Which reminded him of why the small boy was here in the first place.</p><p>"Hey, you must have presented already, right?" If not, the Seos would not have brought him here, they only caught interest in the extraordinary. Youngho waited just two seconds for an answer before moving on. "I did last winter, and I have been practicing ever since! Wanna see? I am pretty insane." Of course, the other wanted to see, Youngho presumed, and grabbed one of the wooden building blocks. He placed it carefully on his desk, for his audience to see.</p><p>Then he started by dramatically breathing in, clearing his throat and then stretching out his arms. Staring at the small building block intensely, his spread fingers immediately began to cramp, he was holding his breath. His spectator remained unmoved with crossed legs on the floor and looked back and forth between wizard and the building block, both didn't move an inch. Youngho's face turned all red and puffy, the wrinkles on his forehead were deep as the sea. He looked like he was going to explode any minute, but when his hands started to shake heavily, he shut his eyes. The building block fell over. Thack.</p><p>The spectator wasn't sure what a suitable reaction for this breathtaking performance was, so he and the performer shared looks of both anticipation and caution. That's when the boy sitting on the floor broke out into laughter. The soft yet wholehearted sound made Youngho look at him dumbfounded, before a smile brightened up his face. His pride didn't root in showcasing his mental force in a tremendously impressing manner, but in making the boy laugh. Hearing the other's amusement was like listening to a catchy song for the first time, already knowing it'll be stuck in your head for days.</p><p>After that, Youngho tried everything to hear that laughter again and asked him dozens of questions he could only answer with shrugs or a confused look. He even shook his head as Youngho wanted to know if he could read or not and for the first time Youngho actually thanked his mum for starting to teach him to read early on. It gave Youngho another chance to show off as he stood on his tippy toes to get to a book at the top of the shelf.</p><p>"This is my favorite book!" he announced and sat down next to his new favorite person. With his index finger he stroked the title along, reading out loud very slowly. “Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.” It was an English book and those strange sounds coming out of Youngho's mouth made the other look at him bewildered. Youngho only chuckled and opened the book. </p><p>"I will translate for you!" he announced and actually meant inventing a new story freestyle by looking at the illustrations. English being a prominent language in Mikal caused the Seos to first teach their son the English letters. With her maid Amy Youngho would practice English speaking and was fairly good at it, but reading was something he found particularly difficult. His parents still bought him piles of books to fill his shelves, motivating him to read one of the stories more often. Youngho still preferred to look at the pictures instead of deciphering the letters next to them and let his imagination run wild.</p><p> </p><p>That's how Youngho started telling his new listener the story of Alice, a Miskin-born girl chasing a white rabbit, that is actually a shapeshifted wizard, down a rabbit hole only to find herself in a curious hall with multiple locked doors of different sizes, the front gate of Mikal. Alice only found the key to the smallest of them and thus needed to figure out how to use potions to shrink herself in size. Never having had potions lessons before, she struggled and became so frustrated she started crying, resulting in her almost drowning in her tears. She survived but was swept away by the flood to find herself lost in the jungle of Mikal.</p><p>They never made it to the tea party. After only a few pages or rather pictures Youngho could feel the boy's head on his shoulder, his breathing was calm and shallow. You couldn't blame him. The amount of new impressions must have been huge and until now he had probably not seen much more than the estate of the Seos. Teleportation was so tiring, Youngho had heard, so he only smiled and helped the boy get into a more comfortable position by lying down. To read aloud, they had both sat down on the bed and Youngho didn't plan on waking him up, so he had to sleep in his room.</p><p>Much to the displeasure of his mother, barging in only an hour later after Youngho had browsed through the rest of the book. With his index finger outstretched on his lips, Youngho quickly signaled that she had to be quiet. Her look fell onto the sleeping figure next to her son, his back facing her.  She sighed and Youngho knew she wanted the newcomer to sleep in a room with Amy and Jongin. He really didn't understand why, not feeling the need of having that big room all for himself.</p><p>Pleading eyes were glancing up at his mother, followed by lips forming a cute pout. He always did that and felt confident in his parents never being able to assert themselves. Their love for their biological son was too strong. So unsurprisingly, Mrs. Seo gave in, her words "Today's the exception" barely audible. She left the room and extinguished the light with a delicate hand movement.</p><p>Right after the door was closed, Youngho giggled since he had gotten what he wanted once again. For him it was one of the best feelings in the world and soon would turn into an eager thirst for power in his adulthood. But for now he just enjoyed having his parents wrapped around his finger.</p><p> </p><p>All of the sudden, a quiet noise caught him off guard. Sniffing. Was someone crying?</p><p>Since there were only two people in the room, Youngho quickly leaned over the second person. Outside the rain was still pouring, knocking violently at the glass window. Without the moon as a light source, he couldn't make out the other's opened, glassy eyes, couldn't see the other biting his lower lip harshly to try suppressing any sounds. He failed and hearing the small whimpers broke Youngho's heart.</p><p>"Hey... hey what's wrong... are you okay?" Youngho leaned back and pulled the smaller boy into his arms, not feeling prepared to give any helpful mental support.</p><p>"No!"</p><p>It was the first word the boy had said all day and it wasn't the last.</p><p>"I shouldn't be here."</p><p>"But this is your home now." Youngho uttered, feeling confused. Didn't he know?</p><p>There was no reply and Youngho, feeling sad that the pretty voice was already silent, hugged the boy tighter. It earned him a small whine.</p><p>"It was dead."</p><p>"What?"</p><p>"It died. My cat. It was just a stray cat that I had lured with food, but it was my friend. It was a bit lazy and never caught mice... but it did not deserve to die and..." Then the small boy lost it again. Big crocodile tears were streaming down his face and he sobbed loudly. Youngho let him, he waited for him to calm down before he continued his curious story.</p><p>It turned out the boy's furry friend liked to steal food from his family, hence earning the disdain of his father. He wanted to get rid of the cat but knew of his son's love for the feline. Yet one sunny day he took the opportunity when he was working on the rice field close to their home. The cat laid stretched out on the edge of the field, enjoying the warm sun rays on its fur. Unaware of anything bad, it rolled over as it heard approaching steps, since people often liked to pet it. But instead of lavish strokes, a hand grabbed its neck at lightning speed, and barely as its panicked screams swelled, the sharp blade of a sickle was rammed right into its heart.</p><p>The father had to cover up the animal murder and dispose of the cat, but he was caught with the animal carcass in his hands by his son, who brought him lunch earlier than usual that day.</p><p>"I think I never cried so much in my life before. I... I took my friend out of his hands... I hugged it. There was so much blood, everything was red, my clothes, my hands, my face... Why did father do this?"</p><p>But the story didn't end here. Witnessing the murder before, a few harvest helpers from the nearby village felt unsettled, more by the heartbreaking reaction of the boy than by the brutal act itself. The father invited them over for dinner, but his son refused to join. He was sitting outside, his little dead friend buried under a tall pine tree. He was praying, hoping, begging for the cat to come back to life. </p><p>"I could help it catch mice, so father doesn't hate it anymore"</p><p>That time the boy grew more and more tired. He just sat there and it was enough to make his breath heavy, his vision turned blurry. It was like the mourning was sucking the energy out of him, making him feel chilled to the marrow.</p><p>The soft cries of his mother calling him to come inside made him snap back out of his trance. With trembling legs, he walked towards her and stumbled into her. Inside, everyone was loudly enjoying their meal. His father seemed unbothered but couldn't meet his eyes. The boy felt dizzy and was about to sit down, his legs threatening to buckle, when suddenly a sound silenced everyone in the room. The soft meow of a cat.</p><p>Of a particular cat.</p><p>"I-it was my friend! He came back to life! He was purring as it entered the room and snuggled up to my legs as always... Only...  its fur was sticky and covered in dirt... there still was this pulsing, open wound at its chest and a trail of blood behind it..."</p><p>A sudden coldness hit Youngho's core as goosebumps covered his body. Suddenly he understood why his parents found interest in the cat-loving boy. What brought the cat back to life was a form of magic called necromancy. Youngho only heard briefly about it before his father claimed that it was not suitable for small children's ears.</p><p>Not because it was forbidden, but because people feared it. Practicing this kind of magic meant communicating with the dead. There were various means to do so, but what the boy had succeeded in was the art of resurrection, which left its performer utterly exhausted or dead, if he hadn't been trained well. Humans liked to call it black magic and among the wizards it was also stigmatized for a long time. Necromancy was incredibly difficult, and it was believed only tainted souls would be able to master it. That's why most wizards never got involved in studying that field. However, things started to change recently, since necromancers with their abilities to raise bodies proved themselves to be an irreplaceable addition in court.. Because, who else could identify the murderer better than the murder victim itself?</p><p>But to humans who happened to witness this form of magic, it looked nothing more than satanic and grotesque demon summoning. Youngho never met a human being in his life before, but he wasn’t surprised hearing the boy describing the other people’s reaction. It made his heart sink.</p><p>“My parents were scared of me, but they still hid me in the pantry for a few days. The guests we had that night had run away and had alerted the village and at night many people came to kill me. My father sent them away, telling them he’d already done that, when it was really the cat he’d burnt to death. The next morning... a strange looking couple came, I mean… your parents… They talked with my parents, I couldn’t hear much in the pantry, but father couldn’t make them leave and they started talking about things that didn’t make sense.”</p><p>“They were talking about magic?”</p><p>Mr. and Mrs. Seo had put it nicely and called the small boy an abnormality they’d be kind enough to take care of. And it didn’t need much persuasion to convince the scared parents ”I don’t remember… the couple just gave my father lots of money and then they just took me away..”</p><p>There wasn't any more explanation, only tears. Youngho gently stroked over the boy's thin arms and tried to turn him around, so they could face each other, but the crying figure just rolled up, hugging his own fragile body tightly while letting out all the frustration he had suppressed the whole time.</p><p>After what felt like an eternity, he calmed down. </p><p>“I thought they cared about me.” The boy’s small whisper was hoarse and weak. It was the voice of a child that had its heart ripped apart by the people he trusted and loved the most.</p><p>Youngho wasn’t sure if he understood, if he could truly empathize with him. The pain, the confusion and helplessness he felt could by no means be mirrored by Youngho. The only thing Youngho was sure about was the ache in his chest, the growing heaviness caused by the sorrow of the other.</p><p>“I care for you. From now on, I will make sure nothing ever happens to you again, alright? I promise.”</p><p>“You… promise?”</p><p>“I do.”</p><p>“... Taeil.”</p><p>“Hm?”</p><p>Slowly, the small boy turned around in his embrace. Outside the rain clouds had disappeared and moonshine was now illuminating their faces. Youngho blinked a few times, drawn in by the delicate smile appearing on the other’s lips. </p><p>“My name. My name is Taeil. Thank you, Youngho.”</p>
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<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Hey Renjun, can I kiss you?</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Ni hao everybody~<br/>I am still alive, I hope you guys are too!<br/>This is the part where the author tells you about having been busy because of XYZ, I'll spare you this time hahaha<br/>Btw, this chapter is just the half of what was supposed to be chapter 7, I decided to split it in two 'cause it got lengthy. Yeah. </p><p>Enjoy Hyuckie's first day at magic school. And check out <a href="https://open.spotify.com/playlist/71vvHlYZ2z8OMcrCMHbGoo">Doyoung's Mixtape</a> while you read this, it will be referenced later. Spoiler. HAH.</p><p>Stay fresh and stay safe!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"Where is Donghyuck?"</p><p>"Oh Renjun, hi!" Yuta had opened the door to look at the citrus-like expression of the teenage boy in front of him. Said boy blinked only briefly at the sight of Yuta but wasn't really surprised to see him lurking around Donghyuck's home again, so he proceeded with his rant.</p><p>"Yesterday at Sunday's Service Taeyong said he was busy, but how can he be busy to the extent of not attending school?" Renjun's hands clenched. "And my texts! He ignored them.”</p><p>"Renjun, why don't you come inside first."</p><p>"NO! Yuta, is he dead? Because that's the only acceptable excuse."</p><p>Yuta, still at a loss on how he should react to the much smaller boy ranting at him, frowned. He knew from Donghyuck that the two friends often bickered and argued, but Yuta himself had never seen the Chinese boy lose his temper. He was taken by surprise and found no clever excuse.</p><p>"Donghyuck left the country."</p><p>"He- WHAT?" The explanation only made Renjun look more determined to kick his best friends' ass.</p><p>"It's difficult to explain, euhm..." Suddenly Yuta noticed the heart-shaped chocolate box in the boy's hands. A handy way to change the topic. "Oh, Casanova, on your way to your date?"</p><p>That caught Renjun off-guard and made him deflate. His piercing eyes dropped from the Japanese man's face down to the expensive pralines in his hands. "No, actually..."<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>~</p><p>"Oh, that's so sweet of you, Renjun..." Hope flared up in the eyes of the boy in question. He did it! He finally dared to ask out his long-term crush, even if his best friend had only predicted him to fail. Renjun couldn't wait to share the news with this loser.</p><p>"But... I really want to focus on my studies right now. You understand that, right?", Yeri added, tone apologetic. Renjun just blinked, soul leaving his body while he thought about all the sweet shared moments of him and the girl. The countless times he shared his snacks with her, the homework he let her copy. Add to that the corny dramas he watched only to be able to discuss them with her. The many times he ran back home in the pouring rain because he gave his umbrella to Yeri who never brought her own with her. The time he wasted on her social media only to be the first one to like her posts. In return, Yeri would let Renjun sit next to her and listen to his fairy theories, sometimes asking him about the mushrooms he liked to study about.</p><p>So, the loser really was Renjun himself after all.</p><p>"Thanks for the chocolate though...", Yeri showed off her sweet smile, which was usually enough to make Renjun forgive her anything. Renjun had always let her have her way in the past. But now his heart was in shards and instead of picking them up, he tore the box of chocolates out of Yeri’s hands as if it was the last piece of his dignity that was left. "See you in class," the boy mumbled before he left to lick his wounds. </p><p>~</p><p>"Oh no, I am sorry to hear that." Jungwoo pushed out his lower lip and looked compassionately at Renjun, who had just reported the tragedy.</p><p>"Forget her, she has no taste, obviously," Yuta said nonchalantly, stretching out all four limbs at once. He was sitting comfortably in the armchair and hadn't moved ever since Renjun entered the living room. It hadn't been his original plan, but the sweet smell of freshly baked cupcakes had reached his nose and lowered his resistance. When Yuta had asked him to try Taeyong's new creations while sipping on some tea, Renjun was already kicking off his shoes and stripping down the jacket.</p><p>"I'll have to... but we still attend the same evening classes.", Renjun sighed and leaned back. Jungwoo sat next to him and offered him another cupcake in a heartbeat. It was only the three of them, since Taeyong was working the late shift at the kindergarten, taking care of the children with workaholic parents. Taeil was off to work and big chonk Gilbert was taking a nap in his owner's bed. Jungwoo mentioned mildly irritated how he had received the key for his apartment from his colleague Taeyong when they had changed shifts earlier that day. Both had planned a chill movie night when Taeyong returned, trying the new cupcakes the man had prepared in advance. Lately Taeyong was very keen on refining his cupcake recipe, so he could offer Father Jaehyun only the most exquisite results. Jungwoo was given the task to add the frosting and didn't expect his roommate Yuta to squat on the kitchen counter, browsing through the newspaper and munching on a cupcake. At this point, Jungwoo was sure the other used his extra toothbrush he had left there more than the one in his own apartment.</p><p>"Poor kid... Eat as much as you like!" Jungwoo announced cheerfully before Renjun took the small delicacy with a kind smile.</p><p>"Excuse me? He can eat as much as he likes, and you told me to eat no more than two? Where's the justice?" Yuta raised both eyebrows and crossed his arms, looking like a kicked puppy. It was an expression he had practiced to perfection. "And if we finish them all, Taeyong will blame only me for it"</p><p>"Well in the event of all the sweets in the house disappearing, you can't blame anyone for thinking about you first, can you?" Jungwoo was mildly irritated. "Also, our Renjun just got dumped! No one broke your heart recently, last time I checked."</p><p>"You just did." Yuta was faking a sob, his hand moving to touch his chest. "Ouch."</p><p>Renjun chuckled and gave in so Jungwoo didn't have to. He leaned closer to offer Yuta the cupcake in his hands. The other accepted it with a long-drawn "Thank you~" and inhaled the reward for his acting performance at the speed of light. Jungwoo gasped in indignation, but a quick chuckle followed quickly after.</p><p>It had been a while since Renjun last saw Taeyong's colleague and just seeing the child care worker’s face lifted his otherwise sour mood. Whenever Renjun was visiting Donghyuck's home, he was used to seeing Yuta lying around on the sofa, zoning out or emptying the family's fridge. However, today was one of the few occasions Jungwoo came over.<br/>
The sight was rare and Renjun guessed it was because Jungwoo had a job and Yuta simply embraced the Hobo-Lifestyle and unemployment.</p><p>"So... about Donghyuck..." Jungwoo started warily and it made Renjun's eyes widen in sudden realization. Ah yes, the reason he came here was for finding out about his best friend's whereabouts. He almost forgot, with the blanket wrapped around his small frame and the sweet treats in front of him.</p><p>There was much to wonder about and little to believe in what Jungwoo told him next. Apparently, Donghyuck's parents ordered their son to come back. The midlife crisis hit them so hard, they felt scared and empty by not having their self-made biological product around them.</p><p>"Yeah, they wanted to embrace the <em>magic</em> of parenting." Yuta giggled to himself and would have been burnt by Jungwoo's laser eyes if they'd live in another dimension.</p><p>"But I thought Taeil is Donghyuck and Taeyong's legal guardian? They can't just take him, and I doubt Donghyuck would just follow them to... where exactly...?"</p><p>"To M.. Mmh.. Hm. " Before Yuta was able to reveal too much, Jungwoo stuffed a cupcake into his mouth. So clumsily that half of it landed on the ground. Jungwoo then stared intensely at Renjun, hoping to find a quick, believable excuse in the depths of his eyes, yet he was only met with confusion.</p><p>"Wasn't it... China? I think they took the same flight as Johnny." Jungwoo crossed his arms. He'd have to make sure to vacuum the floor before Taeyong's return.</p><p>"Ah yes. Exactly, China." Yuta nodded quickly, still amused and with a full mouth as he pulled the foil out of his mouth, which was still stuck to the cupcake.</p><p>"Ch-china?"  Renjun's face was that of pure horror. He recalled how Donghyuck had casually tried to flex his new knowledge in front of his Chinese friend after one of his first Mandarin Lessons during lunch break. "Hey Renjun, can I kiss you?" The question made every one of Renjun's neck hairs stand up. The big grin on Donghyuck's face hadn't been of much help to resolve the awkwardness that was building up between them. It took them five whole minutes to find out Donghyuck was tone deaf and had failed fatally at pronouncing the word 'ask'. His Chinese level did not see any significant improvement thereafter.</p><p>"Hey!"</p><p>A napkin hit the Chinese boy in the middle of his forehead, which helped him to focus back on the people before him. The attacker turned out to be Yuta. The couch potato, pardon, self-proclaimed 'man of many talents' pointed with a nod to the small wooden table between them.</p><p>"I'm giving you the opportunity to share the last cupcake with me. Accept or regret."</p><p>Renjun simply smiled and stretched out his hand, receiving the promised half. "Thank you."</p><p> ~</p><p>The 'Donghyuck information cow' had apparently been milked, as Jungwoo pretended to not know anything else. Renjun’s undeterred asking did not annoy the young kindergarten teacher, instead he blocked the questions more and more desperately. It took Renjun a moment to notice the tiredness in his eyes, slightly hidden behind furrowed eyebrows. In the end, Renjun gave up. His curiosity was unsatisfied, and his confusion was only nurtured. Only his anger weakened. It was now official that there was more behind the matter than initially thought. The thing was bigger, not only Donghyuck's family was involved, Yuta and Jungwoo also seemed to hide something and covered for Hyuck's sudden disappearance. </p><p>Or his assassination.</p><p>On the way to the metro, Renjun continued to think about possible scenarios and a course of actions. Since Jungwoo had to clean up before Taeyong's return and find new cupcakes, he had announced his departure to Renjun. He knew Jungwoo wouldn't mind him staying for longer and enjoying some tea and the full selection of streaming services Taeyong signed up for. Because that was what Yuta did anyways, all the time. "Honestly, sometimes I don't even know how he gets in here." Donghyuck had told him once, so the theory of Yuta being a ghost came up. If not a ghost, then a skilled burglar.</p><p>Outside it was pouring rain. Renjun pulled the hood deep into his face and rushed across the street, reaching the entrance to the metro station. As he sat in the car, backpack on his lap, he pulled out his phone to text Sicheng and Lucas that he was on his way. Upon seeing Renjun sitting all by himself in the first row during class, the two boys had joined him for lunch. Thus, they came up with the plan for the meeting. Mrs. Kwon had announced that they would repeat the math test. Judging from her particularly bad mood, that had reached its peak ever since the blank paper debacle, the questions were most likely to be of higher difficulty. That woman was out for revenge. </p><p>After letting the others know about his approaching arrival, Renjun checked the chat with his best friend. His texts were still unanswered. Once again fury flared up, but this time worry was wrapped around it. A sigh slipped off his lips before adding something to the dozens of texts.</p><p>[MushroomEnthusiast] Hey loser.<br/>
[MushroomEnthusiast] Please tell me what's going on.<br/>
[MushroomEnthusiast] ... you were right about the chocolate, by the way.</p><p>~</p><p>Donghyuck felt lost. Not only because he still had trouble believing being part of the new world around him, but also because his bed was freaking huge. The king sized bed didn't even feel out of place in the huge room Johnny gave him. Except for a few pieces of furniture, there was only one painting hanging on the wall. It was art that was intangible to Donghyuck, because he could not read a profound emotion from a single purple line on white canvas. He wondered if Johnny painted it himself. It seemed out of character, but by now Donghyuck thought everything was possible. The story he had heard over dinner reminded him of how little he knew about his family.</p><p>Especially Taeil. His quite peculiar talent in resurrecting the dead made Donghyuck imagine him reviving his customers to have a chat whenever he's lonely. Maybe this was the reason he chose to become a mortician in the first place.</p><p>At dinner, Johnny had smiled while talking about Taeil's first day in Mikal. There was warmth radiating from his entire persona when he mentioned how the brothers by law grew up to become lovers by choice. "We were kind of famous that time, the couple the entire island was talking about. Me as Minister of Magical Affairs, him as General of the Enforcement Authority. Everything was perfect, I felt like I was on top of the world for many years..." Johnny was smiling, but his gaze became rigid and lost focus, "I think I never loved anyone this much... and he is still the center of my universe. Back then I told him I wanted to be with him forever and asked him to become my husband. Yet... I somehow lost him. He started to hate Mikal for some unknown reasons. My moonshine distanced himself from me and the life I helped him build. After he left for the human world and went to Germany, things got... messy."</p><p>Johnny had quickly changed the topic and had offered to clear the table. A glance at the clock had revealed to him that he had already gone way too far. Mark and Donghyuck were free to spend the evening however they wished to. And Donghyuck decided to go straight to bed which normally was not very Donghyuck-like. He had been led to the guest room by Mark in front of which they both wished each other goodnight. When the newcomer stood in the adjacent bathroom and, after what felt like an eternity, reappeared in his reflection, he felt sorry for everyone who had to witness this sickening sight. Being awake for almost two days straight surely left some marks.</p><p>That's why it was beyond Donghyuck that his body didn't immediately release all his sleep hormones when he dropped onto the mattress. His frustration and swirling thoughts forced him to lie awake for a while longer. Once again, he cursed Mikal for the lack of cell phone reception, because reaching out to his friends was now impossible. While still not prepared for Renjun's rage, which he had to reckon with, Donghyuck would have liked to call Lucas. Their last phone call had been good for him.</p><p>Also, he had to speak to Taeil. Ask him how Donghyuck was supposed to accept Mikal as his new home when it was the place Taeil hated enough to leave a seemingly perfect life behind.</p><p>"Damn, right!" A sudden thought caused Donghyuck to start up. The walkman. This relic from ancient times that Taeil had entrusted to him. With hopefully acceptable music. He needed it, now.</p><p>Donghyuck raised his hand and waved it helplessly around, an awkward attempt to imitate Mark's graceful hand movement, with which he first let the light of the room shine and then extinguish. He must have remembered it wrong, so he had no choice but to get out of bed and search for his bag in the dark. A short time later, he successfully scurried back under the warm duvet and put his headphones on. Getting the music player to run took longer, however. The weak moonlight shining through the window was of barely any help when Donghyuck cluelessly fumbled at the device. Eventually, he pressed the right button.</p><p>
  <strong>
    <em>“Moon Taeil, my love, my hope and my heaven.”</em>
  </strong>
</p><p>The voice did not belong to Johnny or to any person Donghyuck knew. Was this the abusive boyfriend Taeil used to have back when he lived in Germany? The reason for Taeil’s nightmares and need for antipsychotics? </p><p>
  <strong>
    <em>“If you listen to this, we already celebrated our second Christmas together. Just that this time, it was the first one as a couple… [soft chuckle] Ah, time flies and even though you promised to stay with me forever, I wished time would slow down a bit. Forever still feels short when I spend it with you.”</em>
  </strong>
</p><p>Donghyuck felt the urge to vomit - it wouldn't be the first time today. Luckily, he was able to get a hold of himself.</p><p>
  <strong>
    <em>"God, you must be cringing at this. But you still like it, right?"</em>
  </strong>
</p><p>Donghyuck thought about stopping the player since the message was clearly not directed at him. Listening to that guy talk felt so intimate, so intrusive. In addition to that, he wanted to listen to some music and the long intro reminded him of a Youtuber who needed five minutes to finally address the main topic of the video.</p><p>
  <strong>
    <em>"Let's just start the mixtape. Here's the song we first danced to in the disco. How Deep Is Your Love by the Bee Gees. Enjoy."</em>
  </strong>
</p><p>Donghyuck sighed and turned to the other side, judging the soft tune that started playing to be acceptable. The singer's smooth voice calmed him down. In fact, he didn't even make it to the end of the song, since the sleep deprived boy was overcome by fatigue and he drifted into his very own dreamland.</p><p>~</p><p>Darkness enveloped him, but he was warm. Disoriented, Donghyuck took a few steps forward until a sound startled him and he stopped. The ticking of a clock came closer, closer and closer and became louder, louder and louder until the earth began to shake and he lost his grip. He was falling, green sparks shooting around him until he landed on something soft. Suddenly, everything was doused in bright light and Donghyuck realized he was lying on a giant version of Wendy's famous vegan burger patties. Disgusted, the boy covered his face and wiped the frying fat off his cheek. "Hey uncle!" A familiar voice forced him to look up. Mark, dressed up as a watermelon, was grinning an inch too widely at him. Just as Donghyuck had decided to slip down from the bean-based meat alternative, he noticed the dead cat in Mark's hand. Mark noticed the panic flaring up in the other's eyes. "Oh this? Disappointing dinner for you." He raised the cadaver, his face turning dark. A howl made both wince and the next moment Mark hung from the horn of a unicorn, blue blood dripping down the white floor, drip drop. "Donghyuck, hi!" said Lucas, sitting on the unicorn with his legs swinging around. "We are both very handsome!", he exclaimed and wiggled his eyebrows. Lucas' deep brown eyes were hypnotizing, just like his smile and when Donghyuck wanted to thank him for the compliment, he realized it wasn't directed at him. Instead, the unicorn turned its head to grin at him, showing off a set of perfectly white human teeth.</p><p>"Donghyuck!"</p><p>The boy in question opened his eyes. His heart was beating rapidly in his rib cage, as if he had just finished a marathon. Now he was face to face with Mark Lee who thankfully wasn't wearing a watermelon costume but a set of pajamas. Donghyuck hurriedly directed his gaze at the hands of the other, which were empty, and he took a deep breath. "Oh, dear Lord..."</p><p>"I am sorry, I didn't mean to scare you." Mark looked cute with his messy hair and big apologetic eyes. No sign of the darkness his dream doppelgänger radiated.</p><p>"You didn't. It's my dream that freaked me out... and no, I won't share the details."</p><p>"You don't have to. Good morning, by the way. We have to get ready and..." Mark noticed the walkman. "Hey, what's that?"</p><p>"Good morning." Donghyuck said when he looked down at himself and saw the walkman, the attached headphone cable twisted and tangled into a ball. Wow, how did that happen.<br/>
"It's a gift Taeil got from his ex." he blurted out, even if he wasn't 100 percent sure. Yet Mark's eyeballs almost popping out of their sockets was an indicator the information might be correct.</p><p>"What? Man, no way!"</p><p>"Oh yes! The guy even left some loving messages. Big oof!"</p><p>Mark reached out and took the small cassette player, turning it around in his hand. He was intrigued.</p><p>"Don't mention this to Johnny."</p><p>"Why not? Is it a secret?" Donghyuck sounded hopeful.</p><p>"I am not sure, but it will upset him. Just don't mention it."</p><p>Donghyuck recalled having dinner with Wendy before he had devastated her living room and took an abstruse turn on his life. He thought about Johnny's and Taeil's words that made no sense to him, the supposed policy discussion of the two about possible parenting measures such as beheading or cutting out the heart was certainly put into perspective after Donghyuck was thrown into the magical world. The boy somehow felt those weren't mere metaphors.<br/>
And all this was the result of Yuta claiming to know Lucas, just under a different name. What was it again? Yu... cky? Donghyuck failed to remember.</p><p>"Can I listen to it later?" Mark returned the walkman with some hesitation.</p><p>"Sure." The other shrugged.</p><p>"Cool. I'll go downstairs then and set the table. The neighbours are coming over for breakfast. Come downstairs when you're ready, ok?"</p><p>Donghyuck nodded and watched Mark disappear from his room. A few stretches and yawns later, the boy made it out of bed and fished his new school uniform outfit out of one of the many shopping bags full of stuff he had gotten from Johnny the day before. He should probably put his stuff in the closet, but he didn't bother. So, he just took his clothes and headed for the door to take a refreshing shower in the bathroom. </p><p>But just when he was about to leave the room, someone opened the door and slammed it open into Donghyuck’s face.<br/>
"AH! I am so sorry Donghyuck, I didn't mean to, oh no, are you ok?" Mark freaking Lee inched closer to inspect the other, who only glared at him. "What is it?" Donghyuck growled while holding his soon-to-be-bump.</p><p>Mark looked embarrassed. "I can't take it anymore; can I listen to the cassette now?"</p><p>"What? Heck no, get lost." The other was already looking forward to being the new kid at school everyone would remember for the red horn on his forehead. Charming.</p><p>"Oh... ok." Mark was about to retreat with his kicked-puppy look. Donghyuck stared at him, knowing all too well which effect those sad eyes had on him. But this time he wouldn't crack, this time he would stay icy, he felt it.</p><p>~</p><p>"This side went through, you have to turn it over."</p><p>"Don't tell me what to do, Mark Lee." With a huff Donghyuck opened the walkman to flip the cassette around. Both were sitting on his bed, each with headphones already in their ears. The moment Mark pressed play, he closed his eyes.</p><p>
  <strong>
    <em>"Hey, my heaven. Do you remember us going to our first concert? You were so excited to see Modern Talking in the flesh you couldn't stop squeezing my hand and I was actually concerned you might rip it off. That would have been ok though, because it was you. I'd let you do anything to me, Taeil."</em>
  </strong>
</p><p>"Holy shit, sounds like the intro to an erotica novel. Great." Donghyuck just wanted to skip forward, but Mark put his hand on his.</p><p>"I think it's cute." Mark was punished with a bewildered look from the other, who removed his hand quickly though.</p><p>
  <strong>
    <em>"My heart, my soul, it is all yours. I know you've been treated badly in the past, but I will make sure all those wounds heal, babe. I will protect you from evil and love you until the end of time. The next song is "You're my Heart, you're my Soul" by Modern Talking."</em>
  </strong>
</p><p>A funky low-tempo song started playing and now it was Mark who had his finger on the forward button. Donghyuck slapped his hand away. "Mark, what the heck? The music's the sole reason I am listening to this!"</p><p>"Dude, those messages are the cutest!" Mark tried to protest, but Donghyuck's judging look made him falter. "Or maybe... we shouldn't even be listening to this at all?"</p><p>"Why else would Taeil have given it to me though?" Donghyuck had a point.<br/>
He knew Taeil, or rather, believed to know Taeil, and suspected that he had simply given Donghyuck the walkman without double checking what's inside.</p><p>A sudden knock on the door followed by a "Kids hurry up!" made both boys jump. Mark ripped out the earphones and shoved the walkman under Donghyuck’s pillow. A second later, Johnny entered. "Ten and the other's are here and I don't want to entertain them alone, so..." The man slithered into the room in slippers and bathrobe, narrowing his eyes just so slightly upon seeing the boy's pale faces in front of him.</p><p>"I'll take a quick shower." Donghyuck jumped off the bed to grab his clothes and flee to the bathroom.</p><p>"I'll set the table." Mark mumbled and left the room just as quick, Johnny trailing behind him slowly.</p><p>~</p><p>"So what's your vibe for today? Young Hugh Hefner? Or handsome pervert?"</p><p>Ten had a devilish grin on his lips. Ever since Johnny entered the room in his red satin robe, the eyes of the fairy king had been glued to him. His comment made Donghyuck chuckle. Thanks to the overwhelmingness of everything Mikal, the boy lacked the energy to annoy his uncle slash adoptive father. So Ten feeling mandated to get on Johnny's nerves filled Donghyuck's heart with joy.</p><p>"I was going for the Mikal’s-most-beloved-minister-enjoying-a-peaceful-monday-morning-look." Johnny answered in a neutral tone as he focused on cutting his bread roll into two halves.</p><p>Donghyuck didn't really know what to expect in terms of breakfast. Instead of a hearty Korean meal, he had honestly thought about being offered a bowl full of toad drops or some omelette made of eggs of those weird birds he saw flying around outside. Instead, the breakfast served was different, but similarly curious: German breakfast. As it turned out, Yangyang, who grew up in the German city Düsseldorf, was a gifted baker and liked to keep his customs alive here in Mikal. That meant the table was filled with slices of ham and salami, jam, boiled eggs and orange juice. Donghyuck was a little skeptical, but after the first bite of his bread roll, he was hooked. And soon, he was full, thanks to Yangyang making sure he'd try everything on the table at least once.</p><p>The fairy boy was similarly attentive towards Hendery. Yangyang did not let the other do anything; he cut the bun for him and distributed a generous portion of minced raw pork on top of it. "Your favorite.", Yangyang hummed and pushed the finished breakfast under his nose. Hendery thanked only softly as the other's arm laid around his shoulder. The gesture itself did not seem to make him uncomfortable, but Hendery still dodged Donghyuck's curious gaze.</p><p>"Wow, you guys must be close." Donghyuck said.</p><p>"They are. Hendery is Yangyang's soulmate after all." Ten answered, smile sweet like the marmalade Mark had smudged over the corner of his lips.</p><p>"And I am yours!", Yangyang exclaimed cheerfully and grinned at Ten.</p><p>There was no explanation given when Donghyuck side-eyed Mark and Johnny.</p><p>"So...", he began, "... is there like some polyamory thing going on?"</p><p>"No!" Hendery quickly disagreed, but also slipped deeper into his chair.</p><p>The atmosphere turned awkward for a fleeting second before Ten's heartfelt laughter let a warm shiver run over Hyuck's back. "It might be more than that. Finding your soulmate is an essential part of every fairy's life. I am sure Hendery will explain it to you some time?"</p><p>Ten succeeded in making eye contact with said boy. He straightened up and nodded slowly. "Of course."</p><p>~ </p><p>After breakfast, it was time to devote himself to his social duties. Which meant going to school. The school bus, of course, came in the form of a private carriage, which Donghyuck guessed to be another privilege provided by his swanky new adoptive father.<br/>
Leaving the house through the front door, Donghyuck kept looking back and forth between the unicorns and his new home. The carriage, which was far too big for only three people, looked even more ridiculous in front of Johnny's futuristic home.</p><p>The three boys sat down and waved to Johnny, Ten and Yangyang. Originally Donghyuck had expected the latter to join them. But as it turned out, Yangyang was, despite his youthful appearance, already an adult fairy who'd finished school back in the 1970s.</p><p> As soon as the carriage started moving, it burst out of Hendery.</p><p>"This is beyond awkward."</p><p>Mark and Donghyuck exchanged uncertain glances.</p><p>"I am so glad we had to leave for school. Usually, Ten never drops the topic. And it's so embarrassing! I swear, talking about the entire soulmate-thing is worse than every sex-ed lesson combined."</p><p>"It sounds kind of sweet though, finding your soulmate and all?" Donghyuck tried weakly.</p><p>"But it's not! You wizards love to romanticize it, I know. But there's nothing romantic about it, even if most fairies themselves will tell you otherwise. It's just our way of reproduction."</p><p>"I don't understand..."</p><p>"It's kind of like a DNA compatibility that isn't mutual but goes into one direction, like a chain reaction.", Mark said, "Every fairy has one person in this world that they are fated to find. They can't reproduce with intercourse you know so..."</p><p>Hendery cut him short. "Ok Donghyuck, imagine that: everyone in this world is a lock. Most of them are closed locks. The ones opened are the fairies. And upon being unlocked, every fairy receives a key, that of course only fits to one single lock out there in the world."</p><p>Donghyuck nodded and watched the fairy boy gesturing wildly.</p><p>"Problem number one: find that lock. Fairies believe in destiny bringing you together, but that's bullshit. We almost went extinct because finding 'the one' is hard. Also because of problem two: what, if the lock to your key is broken? Not every person in this world can become a fairy. humans can, but wizards can't. And nature is weird, it happened before that a fairy got the key to another fairy. If your fated partner can't be turned into a fairy, it's a dead end and you're a disgrace to the fairy community."</p><p>“Oh wow, I had no idea. Sorry for bringing that up earlier…” Donghyuck frowned.</p><p>“It’s fine. The awkward part is not having the ‘key’, but the way it is seen as your divine duty to create another fairy and the general expectation to be together afterwards. It makes sense, since it is really linked to our biology, you do feel close to your ‘lock’, if you’re lucky enough to find it you will just.. know I guess. And we fairies have strong auras, it usually doesn’t need much persuasion to get humans under our spell.”</p><p>“With the building of Mikal and wizards living closer together with fairies, they both got more acquainted with each other’s customs and biology. Wizards found the entire fairy creation thing quite odd, so fairies themselves proclaimed it to be an act of finding one’s destined lover.”, Mark added and would probably have pushed up his glasses if he had worn any.</p><p>“And that made it worse. They put the label ‘Soulmate’ on it and suddenly every wizard is enchanted by the idea. Many fairies even believe it themselves now. We are suddenly the protagonists of cheesy romance novels written by delusional wizards, who imagine a destined chain of fairies living together is supposed to be a harem. BUT” Hendery raised his index finger, “Yangyang, Ten and I are not like that, okay?” He pointed his finger at Donghyuck, who nodded quickly.</p><p>“Good.”, Hendery leaned back and pinched the bridge of his nose. A sigh left his lips. “What if my partner is an 80-year old grandpa?”</p><p>“Would that be worse than not finding your soulm.. your partner at all?” Mark asked.</p><p>“I’m not sure.” The fairy boy leaned down to take a heavy book out of his backpack. “Anyways, I forgot to do homework, so I’ll ignore you two for the rest of the ride. Bye.” He then leaned over his text and did ignore them. So be it. Donghyuck shrugged and decided to peek outside.</p><p>After some time they left the outskirts of Gabriel's Haven and joined in a huge queue of carriages, all of which rode along a long cobblestone road. The three boys were shaken up and Donghyuck wondered how many complaints his genetic parents received daily as Transportation Department officials, because that was an imposition. Guess they didn't just fail in their job as parents.</p><p>As the surface of the road changed and the risk of a concussion diminished, Donghyuck pressed his nose against the window and looked outside to see them pass a large red gate and move into a huge courtyard. "Wait, this is the school?" He couldn't believe it. If he didn’t know he was in Mikal, he would have mistaken the place to be somewhere in China. In front of them stretched a perfectly symmetrical palace that looked like it has been there for a thousand years already. The golden sweeping roofs were stabilized by red columns and most halls were guarded by a pair of bronze lions. All in all, it looked like a well-made copy of the Forbidden City, not a bit like the Hogwarts ripoff he had expected.</p><p>"The school was largely sponsored by the Chinese wizard Community. And when they wanted to pass through the proposal of their traditional architecture, they had the backing of the fairies. Fairies originated in China, you know?" Hendery wiggled his eyebrows and started to get up when the carriage came to a stop a short time later. The three got out and Mark quickly thanked the coachman. They approached a palatial building, presumably the main building to handle Donghyuck's registration.</p><p>The procedure was surprisingly quick. Mark did all the talking and after Donghyuck donated another drop of blood to see it turn blue on a piece of parchment, he was enrolled in Mikal's International School of Magic. He was given a piece of paper, his timetable, and then the three of them left.</p><p>"Can I see?"</p><p>"Ah sure." Donghyuck looked from Hendery back to Mark, asking himself if he should be as excited as the two boys in front of him. Shrugging, he pressed the paper into Mark's hand.</p><p>"Dude, keep holding it." Mark furrowed his eyebrows and Donghyuck found it cute.</p><p>"You just said..." he began but turned silent when he looked down at the now empty paper. All the ink explaining to him what his new life in hell would look like was gone. The paper turned blank, just like the math test a few days ago did. Any color escaped his face. Back then, it was him, he figured. And now he did it again?</p><p>Someone reached for his hand and jerked it onto the white paper. A glance up revealed that it was Hendery, and a look back at the paper showed him that his worries that he could never enter a library again were unfounded. Under his fingers, black ink was shining mockingly at him, the information written there was back. "What the..."</p><p>"Personal information is always written on this kind of paper. The addressee must touch it so that you can read what is written on it." Mark explained and ushered Donghyuck to hold the paper properly for him to read. He then noticed that the timetable was also, of course, in English, just like the many text books he bought with Johnny but he had decided to not take them to school since he did not expect to dive right in on his first day. Well, just his luck. </p><p>"None of the teachers speak Korean?"</p><p>"Some do, but they won't in class, since we're an international school. Don't worry, Hyuckie, Hendery and I will be your interpreters!" Mark's promise gave Donghyuck peace of mind.</p><p>Hendery reassuringly patted his shoulder, then peaked at the timetable himself. "Oh! They put you in our history class! Nice, that means we're classmates after all."</p><p>History class. Donghyuck had not thought that his first lesson on Mikal would be so normal. History class, that sounded relaxing. Back in Seoul, history class was the key word for him to not have to look up; he could doodle on his notepad and listen to the teacher list some dates and events. Questions were rarely asked, and if so, to students who volunteered. For Donghyuck, it was basically art class with an integrated podcast. Only that he always regretted having listened with only one ear before exams. But he never learned from it. </p><p>Nevertheless, it was reassuring to know that you were not immediately asked to resurrect a stabbed cat or to teleport into the neighbouring room. His schedule included a lunch break, and that sounded more promising than embarrassing himself in front of an entire class. Donghyuck still doubted ever being able to control the magic that slumbered deep inside of him.</p><p>~</p><p>
  <em>"Mike, move please."</em>
</p><p>Donghyuck had trailed behind Hendery and Mark, passing crowds of students. Even though no one had paid him special attention, his hand had kept slipping to his forehead, checking whether or not Mark's door attack had really left him with a bump. It hadn't.</p><p>Instead, he had clutched onto one of his many new backpacks and looked at the classroom with a perplexed expression on his face. From the outside the school had looked so old, but the interior was quite similar to Johnny's minimalistic and modern style.<br/>
Donghyuck had still been puzzled as to whether the white statue in the corner of the room was an oversized bee or a thick duck, but he turned his attention to the boy Mark just tried to scare away from his seat.</p><p>
  <em>"And where should I sit then?"</em>
</p><p><em>"Ms. Bae’s lap."</em> Hendery giggled and the three boys started laughing. Donghyuck's face remained blank.</p><p>Said Mike stood up without any further protest. He then noticed the new boy, standing awkwardly behind his two bodyguards. <em>"Oh hi! You're the one they are stealing my seat for?"</em></p><p>Donghyuck stared at him. The boy in front of him looked like he jumped out of an American coming-of age movie. Or maybe more like a 2010 Justin Bieber rip-off. His blue eyes really stood out and his short locks were a tone of blonde he himself could only attain by bleaching the shit out of his hair with losing half of its volume. Oh wait, what had Mike just asked? Suddenly breaking out in cold sweat, Hyuck blurted out: <em>"Hi, my name is Donghyuck. Nice to meet you."</em></p><p>Mike grinned awkwardly and was about to answer, when a small woman in a long coat entered the room, the clicking of her shoes echoing throughout it.<em> "Ah, let's catch up later, ok?" </em>And with that Mike disappeared, he grabbed his stuff and vanished into the back rows. Mark and Hendery ushered him to sit down between them two of them. A place he would have felt safe in if it wasn't for the piercing stare the teacher was giving him. She could have been Mrs. Kwon from an alternate universe.</p><p><em>"Donghyuck. Welcome to our class." </em>She said in a neutral tone before averting her gaze.  <em>"Good morning class. Let's start with our new topic. But first I need someone to summarize the background of the first peace negotiations. Mike?"</em></p><p><em>"Oh, oh euhm..." </em>The Justin Bieber doppelgänger had clearly thought he would be safe in the last row. After clearing his throat he straightened his back while thinking out loud. <em>"So... back then in maybe... around the 18th century I think.. the vampire population kinda turned into a pandemic thing and the entire magical world was under stress, 'cause... we all know vampires and fairies are like mentos and pepsi cola so... wizards tried to mediate?"</em></p><p>Ms. Bae's lips turned into a thin line and she did not comment on Mike’s pathetic try to recount the previous lesson. While Mark got closer to Donghyuck to help him follow the conversation, whispering the Korean translation into his ears and perhaps being just a tiny bit too close, opposition came from the front rows.</p><p><em>"Don't make it sound like we were the problem!" </em>Hendery sounded slightly offended as he turned to Mike and pouted. <em>"Fairies tried their best to settle the dispute with the vampires and took a big part in the first peace negotiations. The only reason it all failed was because this one vampire decided to kill our beloved leader, Sunking Qian Kun the Wise. He was murdered by the vampire representative, someone he had even called a friend, so I think it is reasonable for the fairies to be upset to a level that made them reject the peace treaty?"</em></p><p>Hendery, who still seemed somewhat calm on the outside, had some trouble containing his annoyance. Donghyuck, who often raised sore points with his family, felt bad for Mike who probably just didn't pay attention in class and didn't know how to elaborate further. <em>"I feel sorry for the loss of the fairy community. But at least this tragedy made wizards allow fairies in Mikal and provide for their safety. That's something, right?"</em></p><p>
  <em>"A poor consolation...." Hendery was cut off.</em>
</p><p>
  <em>"... but still a big honor, that's true. Mark Lee, is there anything you would like to add?"</em>
</p><p>Ms. Bae had noticed how Mark kept opening and closing his mouth to try to butt in in a fitting moment, but in the end had only looked silently from one to the other. The teacher calling him out like that made him laugh nervously.</p><p>
  <em>"Oh, I just wanted to mention the donation system that paved the way for the peace treaty to finally succeed 86 years later..."</em>
</p><p><em>"Wonderful, Mark. This is exactly what we are going to talk about today. Why don't you give us a short introduction, after all, we owe it to your family that peace and order now prevail in the magical world!"</em> Seeing the teacher smile was somewhat out of character, Donghyuck thought. So what was Mark's family famous for? Did Wendy make peace by donating lots of vegan burgers to hungry vampires? Unlikely.</p><p>
  <em>"Sure, Ms. Bae. So... As we all know, vampires are parasites, a disease that invades humans when they ingest the blood of a magical creature. It doesn't matter if the blood comes from a fairy, a wizard or even a mermaid, the result will always be an immortal creature we know as a vampire. Vampires cannot survive drinking human blood, their body requires the blood of another magical creature, that's why the growing vampire population became a threat, especially for wizards... the solution to stop this dilemma was the establishment of a comprehensive donation system. The core of this system is the fair distribution of miskin blood to vampires who must first register with the blood distribution registrar. This way we keep an eye on the size of the vampire population and the vampires no longer feel compelled to attack or kill other magical creatures. The inventor of this system is Johnny Seo."</em>
</p><p>Donghyuck was staring intensely at Mark, really wanting to pay attention this time, especially when Hendery tried his best to take over the translation work, but Mark's side profile was a bit distracting. Unlike this morning, when they were listening to the cassette, Mark had his eyes opened and Donghyuck noticed how they were a little lighter than Lucas' deep brown eyes. Wait, why did he suddenly think of Lucas? Donghyuck quickly shook off the thought and focused on the actual topic: vampires. They sounded like rather unpleasant company, and Hyuck wondered if he had ever seen a vampire without knowing it. What did they even look like? It would be disappointing if they couldn't turn into bat and instead were usually just chilling out watching netflix or something.</p><p><em>"Excellent, Mark. A good introduction to our topic today."</em> Ms. Bae slowly walked back to her desk, the heels of her shoes clicking the entire way. She scrolled through the thick book, wetting her finger with her tongue every time she turned a page. <em>"On page 127 you find more information about the donation-system Mark just mentioned. I want you all to go through the text and write down the pro and contra points of the system. You have ten minutes. Starting now."</em></p><p>Donghyuck was confident. Reading a text and working out the main points was the most basic task there is so he felt like he could do it. Especially with his two personal translators next to him, who would probably do the task for him anyway. Mark, who, unlike the other two, had the book with him, opened the page in question and pushed the text into the middle, so everyone could see. Immediately the big portrait on the right caught one's eye; freaking Johnny Seo in green pajamas and a man bun. The photo dated back to 1927.</p><p>"Wow, Johnny really wasn't joking about the pajamas..." Donghyuck mumbled to himself. He didn't have to look at the text, letting the two guys beside him do the work. Although his reading comprehension was not a disaster, contrary to his listening comprehension of English, he found the photos much more fascinating. Seeing Johnny being portrayed as the big statesman and peacemaker was something he had to get used to, just like seeing his big fat grin in a history book  every student in Mikal had to probably read at some point.</p><p>Suddenly Mark turned to the next page and Donghyuck noticed that he had already eagerly taken notes. Unlike Johnny, there were no surprises to Mark's Mikal version. He was still the overachieving nerd, and that was nice. Not so nice was the strange feeling he got as he noticed another face staring at him, just that this time the man in the smaller photo wasn't smiling. Stern expression, lips pulled into a thin line and sleek pushed back hair were only secondary to the piercing stare that first caught one's attention. He was handsome despite looking like a sleep-deprived serial killer who was about to deskin you very slowly. The sense of familiarity he caused in Donghyuck made the boy shiver, yet he couldn't recall where he had seen his face before. </p><p>'Kim Doyoung, former vampire representative and convicted for high treason and multiple murder series. 1987' Nope, no bell rang. By then, Hendery noticed the Grand-Canyon deep frown on Donghyuck's face. "That's the guy that killed Kun, the fairy king, back in the 1800s. He was public enemy number one.", he added with a certain sulkiness. Donghyuck found it peculiar how invested the fairy boy was in affairs that took place a couple decades ago.</p><p><em>"Time's over! Let's collect our answers." </em>Ms. Bae stood at her desk with raised eyebrows and Donghyuck realized he had been staring at two photos for ten minutes straight. Still in vain, he searched for the flash of spirit that would tell him where he knew Mikal's most wanted from. Surely they had never met in the flesh... at least that’s what he hoped.</p><p><em>“Donghyuck, why don’t you share the first pro points?”</em> </p><p>Being called out by the teacher felt like an ice-cold shower at five in the morning. Donghyuck had been expecting puppy protection on his first day, but Ms. Bae seemed to have a sadistic vein. A quality utterly out of place in a teacher. Yet now it was his time to speak.</p><p><em>"I euhm... the system euhm..."</em> he began to stammer and looked down at the notes Mark had pushed in front of him. What an angel.<em> "Provide safety for the wizard community, was the foundation for the second peace treaty, provided the wizards with the means to keep the vampire population in check and with that also the… euhm”</em> Donghyuck squinted to try and decipher Marks notes, <em>“it created a way to prevent other magical creatures to raise an army of vampires to fight their internal battles and euhm..."</em> he squinted hard to make out the last words,<em> "give miskins purpose in society."</em> Done. After painstakingly reciting the first points, he looked around with red ears and noticed how everyone was eyeing him, the new one. Whether the looks were curious or amused, Donghyuck wasn't quite sure.</p><p><em>"Marvelous"</em> The exclamation came out bored and the teacher's hand moved swiftly through the air, index finger slowly drawing signs that appeared as letters behind her on the blackboard. She underlined the last part and animated the class to discuss the great effects the donation system had on the miskin society. Donghyuck failed to make the connection between people that had magical blood but no ability to access their magic powers and the donation system which was made to keep vampires in check. But when the class started discussing and Mark whispered Korean into his ear again, it dawned on him.</p><p>Apparently miskins were the perfect donors for this entire project. Their awkward state of being something between wizard and human made their blood sufficient for vampires to rely on but didn't strengthen them the way wizard's blood would. Donghyuck wanted to ask whether miskins are really being seen as somewhat lesser than wizards, Taeyong's bitter words still ringing in his head, but the teacher preferred to emphasize how much of an honor it was to serve Mikal. Miskins were not allowed on Mikal, but they were obligated to regularly provide a questionable amount of their blood for hated vampires... so this was the next best thing according to the wizard community. There was no materialistic compensation, since the Mikal government believed the appreciation of the magical world to already be the utmost honor. One student inquired about the huge amounts of blood miskins had to donate, causing Ms. Bae to quickly explain that there were more vampires than miskins, so the imbalance made fairies irreplaceable in this equation. Fairies and their healing abilities were used to keep miskins from dying. Well, her choice of words wasn't that drastic, but Hendery translated it less sugarcoatedly. It made Donghyuck shiver.</p><p>It was unsettling to imagine Taeyong or Wendy sitting in those fancy chairs in the bar from where Jongin would normally teleport wizards back and forth. One arm stretched out, the wizard responsible for the procedure would prick the needle through their pale skin, aiming for the pulsing vein. Next to his brother, Donghyuck imagined Hendery grabbing Taeyong's shoulder to let his healing powers work, alleviating the effects of the blood loss. Suddenly Taeyong's disdain for the wizarding world made sense. At least in Donghyuck's head. He wanted to ask Mark about the consequences of miskins refusing to be part of the donation system. And how Mark felt about his mother being legally required to feed hungry vampires. Wendy, who was a passionate vegan and wouldn't even touch meat, donated her own blood for consumption. It was too ironic. </p><p>The timing was perfect, because before Donghyuck could open his mouth, Ms. Bae asked them to list the drawbacks.</p><p>Donghyuck looked down on Mark's notes to read the contra points he connected. He couldn't find them.</p><p>
  <em>"Since the donation system the Great Johnny Seo invented as the foundation of our world's peace has no disadvantages anyways... let's move on."</em>
</p><p>Donghyuck felt pure confusion. No contra arguments to bring up in this discussion? He knew similar rhetoric only from Taeyong's PowerPoint presentation he held in front of his family last year. With instreputable arguments, he had made it clear why he was the chosen one for Father Jaehyun and should spare no expense and effort to help him get that holy ass.</p><p>Back then Donghyuck felt entertained but now he doubted that this one-sidedness was the testimony of good pedagogy. However, no one else except for him seemed surprised. What kind of school is this?</p><p> ~</p><p>At least a school that offered lunch. The lessons had been unbelievably long, thanks to them going through the peace treaty paragraph by paragraph. It was dry and dull and torture enough, yet Ms. Bae still found it necessary to make the new kid read aloud in a language he didn't feel comfortable in. The school bell was more than a liberating blow and all Donghyuck craved was some hearty meal to give him back some energy that that woman just sucked out of him.</p><p>"She isn't that bad.", Mark tried to smooth the waves. But Donghyuck pursing his lips and raising both of his eyebrows so high they disappeared behind his bangs made him abort that mission.</p><p>"Just teach me some English when we're back home." Donghyuck mumbled and saw someone approaching their little group. It was that Mike guy. Donghyuck already liked Mike. He made him feel a little less stupid. Mike was great.</p><p>"Dude, you ready for trashy transfiguration?" Mike's face adorned a wide box smile and he raised his hand to let Mark high five him.</p><p>"Dude, I am so ready. Let's go!" Mark turned to Hendery and Donghyuck. "Bye! See you later!"</p><p>And just like that, Mark freaking Lee left with that Justin Bieber impersonator. Donghyuck stood there quite dumbfounded, until Hendery reminded him of their different schedules. "That traitor has another class now, but I won't leave you. Don't worry." He patted Donghyuck's back gently and his aura calmed the boy down. Even if it wasn't as strong as Ten's, Hendery's presence was still a blessing.</p><p>"Come on, let's grab something to eat. I'll introduce you to someone ten times cooler than Mark Lee!"</p><p>~</p><p>The person ten times cooler than Mark was a petite wizard girl named Lia, who greeted Donghyuck with a shy but warm smile. There was no conversation between the two until after all three had pushed through the line to get some food and found a seat, only for Hendery to hurry to the toilet. ("The canteen restrooms are the best!") For only one split second, awkward silence stretched between them.</p><p>"Nice shirt."</p><p>Donghyuck looked down at his white ruffle shirt, then at the one Lia was wearing. They looked identical. He grinned. "Thanks. When I put it on this morning it still felt like I was going to set sail. Instead, I've just almost drowned in history. In ignorance, I mean."</p><p>"Oh no, but I feel you. I'll give you a tip!", she raised her fork before picking up a small piece of what might be a steak. "Just praise Mikal and our government in every second breath and they won't let you fail."</p><p>"It's that easy?"</p><p>"It is. Ms. Bae is strict, but she can't change the fact that the curriculum's main goal is to grow children into loyal and compliant citizens. 'Strength in unity', right?" Lia spoke at normal volume and sounded neither accusatory nor bitter. If anything, her tone was neutral. If those were the facts, she seemed to accept them.</p><p>"What did you get?" Lia suddenly asked, not waiting for an answer. She pointed at the boy's bowl.</p><p>"Oh, I didn't check the label, it was so hectic. I just grabbed something to keep up with you guys." Hyuck stirred the green soup in front of him and looked at it thoughtfully. "It looks like some sort of stew."</p><p>Lia squinted her eyes and leaned closer, inspecting the bowl's content. "Oh, don't eat too much, you'll turn blue."</p><p>"... WHAT?"</p><p>"Yeah, the small pieces inside are starfish. It's a special kind that can only be found around Mikal. Very aromatic, I like it. But if you overdo it, your skin tone will change for some time. That, or you get a heavy case of diarrhea... anyways, enjoy!"</p><p>All Donghyuck dared to eat now was the bread alongside with it. And only after he asked Lia what the consequences of eating the bread might be. Eventually, the girl offered to swap him for the main course. "But only 'cause it's your first day!" she made clear while shoving her plate filled with steak and fries across the table.</p><p>When Hendery returned, the subject changed again, this time to a gossip story, which he and Lia probably read in the newspaper. So gossiping about celebrities was a thing here, which Donghyuck approved of. However, there was so much name dropping that he just failed to follow and drifted shortly into a parallel universe. The trigger was the small bowl of watermelon cubes he got as dessert. The sight of the fruit catapulted him back to his dream of last night. He thought of Watermelon-Mark, skewered by a unicorn, on whose back Lucas had been. Lucas, that guy he despised ever since he joined their class, for no apparent reason other than envy. Meeting him once proved the former football captain from England really was as annoying as Hyuck had claimed before, but he was annoying in the most charming and endearing way. Donghyuck hoped they'd meet again soon. </p><p>"Oh, what's that blush for?"</p><p>Donghyuck didn't realize his cheeks heating up and turning into the lightest shade of pink, but Lia had sharp eyes and called him out immediately.</p><p>"Hm?" he touched his cheeks gently and smiled nonchalantly. "Oh I was just lost in thoughts..."</p><p>"Thoughts about who?" Her curiosity reminded him of his family back home. However he was not ready to face potential digging about Lucas’ and his not-date and scrambled to find something else to talk about.</p><p>"Oh euhm, you know, this guy I saw in our history book today, this Kim Do... Do.."</p><p>While Lia raised her eyebrows, Hendery snapped to attention. "Kim Doyoung? The worst person to have ever lived on this planet?", he helped out and shoveled another spoon of purple soup into his mouth.</p><p>"What exactly did he do, besides killing that fairy boss?"</p><p>Hendery, his mouth full, started huffing indignantly. “His name is QIAN KUN THE WISE AND HE WAS AN INSPIRATION TO OUR PEOPLE. To this day all fairies try to live by his example.”</p><p>Lia side eyed Hendery for forgetting his table manners. But then she leaned over the table with a coy smile, closer to Donghyuck. "You are asking the right person!", she exclaimed cheerfully, just like a true crime fan just asked about the latest serial-killer documentary they managed to lay their hands on. "So, I'm not sure how much you already know about vampires but..." "Nothing." "Oh great, so vampires organize themselves in clans of varying sizes. Kinda like patchwork-families you have to deal with forever, 'cause you're immortal. Some clans are more powerful than others, but all in all they are not well connected, which was a problem since there were so many of them. Anyways, magical creatures all love getting into fights with each other and started making vampires to fight for them, who after a while, started turning on all other magical creatures since they didn’t want to be used anymore. When chaos got too big, wizards decided it was time for everyone to chill!" Lia made a big gesture and finally clapped her hands together. "And because the wizard community wanted only one representative for the first peace treaty, Kim Doyoung made the cut."</p><p>"And then he pretended to really be invested in the negotiations, only to snack on our great fairy Kun!"</p><p>"Yup and after that he laid low for a good century and then reappeared in the 80s as the King of Hearts!"</p><p>"Please what?" Donghyuck’s confusion was written clear on his face.</p><p>"That was his name as a serial killer! He is responsible for a number of murders, all committed in Germany, because I guess he likes to eat sausage and sauerkraut while hiding from Mikal authorities. Probably he travelled a lot before, ah, that's pretty cool, I want to go to Europe...."</p><p>"The victims were fairies and a few unfortunate humans. His motive was unknown, but it's hard to get into the mind of a vampire anyways."</p><p>"A-and he was called the King of Hearts because..."</p><p>"Oh right!" Lia showed an amused grin. "His signature was to cut out people's hearts. That's big in a way, but also... a bit romantic?"</p><p>A piece of bread flew over the table and would have hit Lia's face if she hadn't dodged in the last moment.</p><p>"Ew, Lia, don't you think your obsession with criminals is slightly concerning?" Hendery looked like he'd bitten into a lemon instead of the cake he'd chosen for dessert.</p><p>"Sorry?" The girl didn't look apologetic in the slightest "It's highly distracting if the criminal looks like a snack in every picture. I'd let him bite me. Too bad they had to cut that pretty head off." </p><p>Donghyuck felt his right eye twitch. "They did what?"</p><p>"Hm? Oh, you don't know! Well, that's the capital punishment in Mikal, beheading."</p><p>"Yeah, but relax," Hendery placed a hand on his shoulder, patting it assuringly, "It's not for wizards and fairies though, if you really mess up, they'll only send you into exile in the human world, for you wizards they might take your powers but not much more would happen."</p><p>Hendery's touch felt warm and comforting and Donghyuck guessed the fairy had strengthened his aura for him. It didn't stop the sudden coldness from hitting his core as he remembered something.</p><p><br/>
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"Oh, how bothersome. How about just cutting his head off? Quick and effective."</em>
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</p><p><strong><em>“Would you prefer to cut out his heart?”</em></strong><br/>
</p><p>Taeil, his nostrils flaring and fists clenching, a wine glass flying through the air, leaving a blood red painting behind, glass shattering.</p><p>And then he realized it. The guy from their textbook. That face. Donghyuck had never seen it in person, no, only in photos he had found in Taeil's night cupboard. They had just been there, placed completely carelessly for everyone to see. Well, for everyone who disrespected privacy or had permission like Donghyuck had when he had opened the drawer to get Taeil some painkillers. "Who is that?", a younger Donghyuck had asked as he returned with not only the pills but a stack of photos. Taeil had taken them while smiling and had the other look over his shoulder as he went through the pictures. They were mainly photographs of sights and chic European architecture. "Those are from my time in Germany." Taeil had explained, looking fondly at the pictures, but still went through them rather quickly. "And this...", he stopped at a photo of him and a man slightly taller than him. ".. was my boyfriend." His black hair pushed back, big grin on his lips; His arms were gently wrapped around Taeil's waist and piercing eyes were directed to the lens, staring at Donghyuck like he was chosen prey. "How can someone be so handsome?" Taeil's chuckle was soft and he scrolled to the next photo. This time it was Taeil who looked into the camera and beamed, while the man next to him hid his face in his lover's neckbend and very obviously tried to suppress a smile.<br/>
Donghyuck never got the chance to comment on the photos, since Johnny arrived at exactly that moment, making Taeil jump and hide the photos quickly in the crack between the sofa cushions. This happened only a few weeks before drunk Johnny claimed Taeil's ex-boyfriend had been both abusive and manipulative.</p><p>Turns out, this abusive and manipulative ex-boyfriend didn't just make playlists with cringey love messages for Taeil to listen to with his walkman, he was also a criminal vampire that had received the maximum penalty in the Highest Court of Mikal. Donghyuck didn't want to believe it, but he was more confident than in any of his tests in his life before.</p><p>"Earth to Hyuck?" An apple swung back and forth in front of Donghyuck's eyes. He looked up and noticed Hendery and Lia staring at him inquiringly.</p><p>"Oh sorry, what did you say?" Donghyuck looked from on to the other, not even sure who said something. Hendery huffed.</p><p>"Lia only said she wants to become a necromancer to bring that scum back to life."</p><p>"Gosh, I was joking!" Lia rolled her eyes. "But just imagine... you've been vibing somewhere in hell for centuries, and suddenly someone resurrects you." She noticed Donghyuck's blank face. “Because convicts are not really dead when you cut their head off, you know? With their body in parts they are only… on standby? Yeah but you’d need a powerful necromancer to bring soul and mind back together. And necromancy is so, so hard!"</p><p>“And kind of wasteful too, if you think about it. Sacrificing a goat for each time you want to interrogate the murder victim…”</p><p>"Yeah, our court really needs someone like Moon Taeil again. I heard he summoned the dead only with the power of his own body. His magic must have been so strong, that's so sick." Lia sighed and seemed to sink into thoughts as she loudly bit into her apple. Donghyuck still pondered over a lawless bloodsucker really being the old flame of someone who was the embodiment of law himself. Even though seeing Taeil like this was new to him, everybody on Mikal seemed to see his guardian as such. It felt like ever since he got thrown into his new life, his hands have been filled with loose puzzle pieces. And slowly, he brought those pieces together.</p><p>"Too bad he decided to turn his back on Mikal back then." Hendery's eyes were on Donghyuck, as if he was waiting for him to react a certain way. He didn't. Or he did if what Hendery was anticipating was Donghyuck being awfully quiet and staring at the last fries on his plate, completely lost in his thoughts.</p><p>"Hey." With an inquisitive voice, Hendery brought both Lia and Donghyuck back to reality. The fairy directed his next question to Donghyuck, voice softening straight away. "Donghyuck, how are you feeling?"</p><p>Seeing how this caught the other off-guard, he elaborated quickly. "In general, I mean. How are you feeling, being here, in Mikal? Suddenly told you are not human anymore?"</p><p>"Oh." A question he didn't expect to hear. And a question he didn't know how to answer at first. If the person in front of him was Johnny, a certain enthusiasm was expected, but Lia and Hendery both looked like they'd accept every reply they were about to receive. "I just feel quite lost. It's like a very bizarre culture shock I might never get over. Maybe I'd feel better having the rest of my family with me... You guys must have been here for a while already, don't you miss home?"</p><p>"I'm an orphan." Hendery shrugged while Donghyuck's lips parted, ready to give his condolences but was cut short. "Ten and Yangyang are my family now, but I guess Mikal still isn't fully my home. I'm relatively new here too, actually. So, I feel you man, I'm still a little lost."</p><p>"You'll get the hang of things." Lia smiled empathetically. "And actually, being connected to the human world is a good thing. It keeps your head clear and your mind open."</p><p>"So wise." Hendery snickered.</p><p>"That means you're not from Mikal?" Donghyuck asked and noticed the empty bowl in front of the girl. He was secretly hoping to see her turn into the lightest shade of blue.</p><p>"Am not. My parents live in Incheon. That's why I don't miss my family. I see them every day."</p><p>Donghyuck's forehead laid in wrinkles. It took him a long second to remember not every wizard kid was prestigious enough to have a swanky uncle with an extravagant home. Most people working or attending school in Mikal had to commute there. What sounded like a disadvantage from Johnny's mouth, was suddenly mildly enticing for Donghyuck.</p><p>"I swear, I couldn't survive 24 hours without checking my Twitter." The girl added.</p><p>Screw that, commuting sounded utterly desirable now. Except for one thing.</p><p>"So you can handle the... the teleporting?"</p><p>"Of course? You mean you can't...?" Lia was genuinely surprised. Before Donghyuck could tell them about how he had distributed his stomach contents on the street after his arrival in Mikal, the school bell rang. Lunch was over.</p><p>"What class do you have now?" asked Hendery.</p><p>"General Magic." said Lia.</p><p>"I don't know," said Donghyuck, who was already rummaging through his backpack and fished out the timetable. "Tutoring for beginners magic with Mr. Zhang."</p><p>"Zhang Yixing! Best boy!" Lia's burst of excitement was mirrored by Hendery.</p><p>"He's a great teacher! And his classroom is in the direction I'm heading to! I'll take you!"</p><p>The three brought their trays back and Donghyuck promised Lia that they would soon be on a trip to Angel's Cradle. ("There's this new Katsune café! We can't not go!") After they separated, the two boys walked in quick steps across a large courtyard. Donghyuck was admiring the golden roof tiles and colorful wooden pillars, which led to him almost tripping and falling. They reached the stairs that led up to a marble terrace lined with balustrades, a small palace placed on top of it.</p><p>"Here we are! Mr. Zhang's Kingdom!"</p><p>Donghyuck stared at the blood red door in front of him. It was twice the size of himself and decorated with golden nails. It looked heavy. As heavy as the burden another session of class would put on him. Hendery didn't care about his dilemma.</p><p>"Come on!" The young fairy pushed the door open to reveal a dimly lit room. Outside it was a bright and sunny day and Donghyuck had to blink several times to get used to the darkness. When he did, someone clapped his hands, the noise echoed and immediately it was bright and Donghyuck dazzled.</p><p><em>"I bring the new student, Mr. Zhang!"</em> Hendery suddenly speaking Chinese made him wonder if the other was speaking to himself, but then Hyuck's eyes finally adapted and he noticed a tall man sitting at his desk at the other side of the sparingly furnished room. Mr Zhang's hair was the darkest shade of brown just like his suit was the darkest shade of green. The soft smile on his face with a dimple popping out reminded Donghyuck of Jaehyun, a literal angel. His new teacher must be nice, he thought to himself.</p><p>
  <em>"Thank you, Hendery. You may leave."</em>
</p><p>Said boy nodded quickly and patted Donghyuck on the shoulder again briefly to say goodbye. "See you later!" With that, he left, carefully closing the large door behind him.</p><p>Donghyuck’s eyes had been following Hendery. When he turned back to the teacher, his neck hairs stood up.</p><p>There was nothing left of the warmth the man radiated just a split second ago. The eye smile had turned into a cold stare and the corners of his lips fell. Mr. Zhang rose from his desk and his long legs led him agonizingly slow toward his pupil. Donghyuck felt incredibly small. Maybe Ms. Bae wasn't that bad after all.</p><p>"Welcome, Seo Donghyuck."</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hey you! Thanks for giving this mess a chance. It’s the first fanfiction I’ve ever written and it has been in my drafts for two years already. My best friend gave me the much needed kick in the ass and helped me reshape the story, so here we are, please enjoy! (And leave comments, I’m thirsty for feedback.)</p>
<p>We both aren’t native speakers in fact, so please tell us about any mistakes :D</p>
<p>Oh and check out the Spotify Playlist for this fic for some fancy tunes:   <a href="https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0UKT2JAaccFKKQnD4eyjYu?si=L1-BoG9dSxyQVIhGneb8sQ">cLicK mE</a></p></blockquote></div></div>
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